Project Kanto Book 1: Call to Adventure!
by SpikeSunil
Summary: Orphans Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur wake up in a strange new land with no memory of their arrival. As they adjust to their new life under their adoptive mother, the brothers begin to uncover secrets about their past, their future, and themselves. They must decide what role they can play to shape their destinies. First book in a potential series! Feedback is greatly needed!
1. Give to a Good Home

_**Project Kanto**_** Book 1: Call to Adventure!**

"_If they are to ever find a better life out there…then I must cleanse their minds to an empty canvas…"_

**Chapter 1: "Give to a good home."**

It was utter chaos in the laboratory on the night of the riots. Sirens blared and the grand computer monitor flashed and glowed ominously in red and black as it signaled the approach of the military troops. Professor Samuel Oak frantically shuffled around the room as he gathered up as many of his precious tools, gadgets, and research papers as he could immediately find. Time was running out and the troops would be arriving at his automatic, metallic double-doors any minute. Oak had to leave _now _if he was to have any chance of escaping to the secret passage in time. The elderly professor jumped when he heard frantic pounding on his doors.

"Professor Oak, it's me! Let me in, quickly!" said a familiar voice. Oak acquiesced with a sigh of tremendous relief.

"Finally, I was beginning to worry that you had been captured, Brandon!" said Oak.

"Those amateur recruits are no threat to us. It's that damn _leader_ of theirs that we should be worried about. Do you have everything you need? We have to leave right this minute!" Brandon ordered.

"Just about. I've transferred all of the necessary data to a disc and hidden it away with the rest of my research. They'll never be able to find any of it." Oak explained.

"Good. Just make sure you seal the front doors as well on our way out. If they believe we're still in here, they'll waste precious time trying to break-in and allow us to put greater distance between us and them." Brandon reminded the professor.

"Already done!" Oak replied. Just then, the back door of Oak's lab slid open and from the darkness, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur emerged.

"Mmmmmm….Dad? What's going on?" Charmander asked drowsily as it rubbed the sleep from its eye. Brandon groaned in frustration.

"Samuel, why are they not in their containment orbs!? We need to get them out of here!" Brandon yelled.

"I was trying to get them to calm down and rest before our departure." Oak explained. He kneeled down picked the three of them up in his arms. "Now I need your cooperation for just a minute, and then I'll put you back to sleep." The professor proposed. He carried the trio over to a set of three chairs, placed each one down separately, and pulled down one of the helmets hanging directly above to be strapped onto each of their heads.

"B-but, Daaad. I don't like that helmet! It squeezes my head!" Squirtle whined. Charmander and Bulbasaur nodded in agreement with its statement.

"I know little ones, but this is the last time I'll need to do this. I promise." said Oak. The three small creatures exhaled simultaneously as they accepted their uncomfortable fate.

"Samuel, we don't have time for this! What on _earth_ are you doing!?" Brandon roared.

"We'll have to _make_ time!" Oak objected. He pulled a lever that caused his machine to hum and buzz as the coils connecting the helmets to the rest of the machine began to glow. "If they are to ever find a better life out there…then I must cleanse their minds to an empty canvas…" Prof. Oak declared. His words were drowned out by the wailing of the machine that encompassed the room. Only Brandon was able to make out his sentence as he stood close to him.

After a few minutes, the machine powered down automatically after completing its task. Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur sat unconsciously in their chairs as smoke seeped out from underneath the helmets. Brandon walked over and frantically removed the helmets from each of their heads. Time was now of the utmost essence.

"Professor, prepare the orbs!" Brandon shouted. Oak removed a small baseball-sized capsule device from the pocket of his lab coat. He stared at the glossy, red and white ball and rubbed his thumb along the linear groove that wrapped around the ball horizontally and segregated the two colors into a top and bottom half. Oak's thumb reached the button on the center of the ball and held it down as he pointed the orb itself at Charmander and issued the verbal command.

"Return!" he shouted. Immediately, a red beam of light emerged from the device through the central button and engulfed Charmander's entire body; dissolving the creature's physical form into nothingness. The scientist performed the same action on Squirtle and Bulbasaur with two remaining orbs and placed them swiftly in his pocket.

"Hurry!" Barked Brandon, who was already standing by the open doors. Brandon and Prof. Oak sprinted down the winding, polished, luminescent hallway and down several flights of stairs. At the bottom floor, Brandon pressed against a false wall and revealed the opening to their established secret passage. After wandering through pitch black darkness for a while, the duo reached the shining light leaking through a thin crack in the wall: the exit. Brandon and Oak attempted to cross a desolate street towards the northern city gate when they froze in their tracks upon listening to the echoing "clicks" of a series of reloading rifles. They turned and saw a line of troops with blazing guns; ready to open fire and vaporize the individuals where they stood. The men slowly rose their hands above their head to signify their surrender.

"Freeze! The two of you are under arrest for attempting to flee across the city boundaries!" One of the guards shouted. But before Brandon and Prof. Oak could submit to custody, a barrage of particle bullets rained down from the sky and struck several of the unsuspecting soldiers and knocked them to the ground. A slender woman dressed in blue landed nearby.

"It's about time you showed up, Agent Jenny!" Brandon remarked.

"Nobody told me you'd take so long to rendezvous here!" Jenny replied. "Now can we just get _out_ of here, already!?" Brandon and Prof. Oak stood to their feet and nodded towards each other in agreement. The trio began sprinting once again towards the northern gate. The fallen troops stood up and began firing towards the group.

"Stop!" Ordered the same guard as before. "Do _not_ let them escape!" The three continued running as Prof. Oak caught up to Brandon's pace. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the three red-and-white containment orbs, and extended his hand.

"Brandon, take them with you! We'll have to separate once we make it through the gate! Otherwise, they'll surely catch all three of us before long!" Pro. Oak explained.

"Preposterous! We're getting them out of here _together_!" said Brandon.

"It's my fault for taking too long that they caught us. All that matters now is that they don't get _them_ too. You know that as well as I do. They're my children, and they deserve a better life than this. My fate is not important. As long as my children find happiness, then there is hope for this world. I just _know _it. Please, as my last request. Take them somewhere _safe _and watch over them." Prof. Oak pleaded as he stopped running. Brandon stared at the containment orbs for a brief moment, as he absorbed the weight of this monumental task. Brandon took the orbs from Prof. Oak's hand, shoved them into his olive green backpack, and continued running; vowing to himself never to look back. He paid no attention as he passed Oak and Jenny, or to the following sounds of rifle shots.

"Samuel! Jenny! We'll meet again! I _swear _it!" He shouted as he kept on running.

Outside a lonesome, modest home dwelled a countryside camouflaged in the darkness of the evening and blanketed under snow. Delia Ketchum was lounging in her living room chair, reading the hours away as she always enjoyed. Her eyes started to burn with fatigue. She stood up and decided to retire to her bedroom. But just as she reached the staircase, she heard a knock on the front door. Upon opening it, she saw no one on her porch. Instead, she looked down and saw a medium-sized basket with a blanket masking its contents and protecting the mysterious cargo from the bitter cold. Delia lifted the basket and brought it into the warmth of her home; shutting the door behind her.

"Oh, you poor things…" whispered Delia as she carefully pulled the blanket back to reveal three small creatures huddled closely together in their slumber; grasping onto one another in a desperate attempt to stay warm. Delia carefully examined each guest slumbering in the basket. Each animal had a colored bandana around their neck with a golden pin with their names written on them attached to each.

The first creature was an orange lizard with the physique of a teddy bear. Its chest was an exuberant shade of yellow, as was the underside of its tail and the bottoms of its feet. But the most exotic feature of all was a small, concentrated flame on the tip of its tail. Delia wondered how such an anomaly could exist without burning anything it touched. The lizard creature had three stubs for fingers on each of its two hands and a claw growing in on each of its six toes; three for each foot. The creature wore a neon green bandana around its neck with a small circular pin that read _Charmander_.

The second creature curled up in the middle of the basket was a light blue turtle sporting a multi-colored shell around its body. The front of the shell was the same shade of yellow as Charmander's chest, but light brown on the back with a round, white rim dividing the two colors all the way around. The turtle's head was perfectly round, mimicking the shape of a ball. Its three stubby-fingered hands toes were almost identical to Charmander's. Finally, the turtle had a curled up tail reminiscent of a squirrel's. The name pin bound to a pink bandana around the turtle's neck read _Squirtle_.

The final creature was the most precarious thing Delia had ever seen. Its body structure resembled not only that of a frog, but also of a dinosaur. Its skin was a darker shade of blue than Squirtle's and small rectangular spots of an even darker blue decorated the creature's body. It had four legs with three claws on each that were much smaller than Charmander's. Unlike the other two, this animal was a quadruped. But the animal's most prominent feature was a large, green plant bulb attached to its back as if it had grown there at birth. The animal's dark blue bandana carried a name pin reading _Bulbasaur_.

Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. All bundled together within a basket and wrapped in a soft, fuzzy, golden-yellow blanket. Delia's heart sank at the very thought that someone would abandon three small, helpless creatures on such a cold evening. Tucked into the basket, she noticed a folded slip of paper. She opened it to read the attached message. _Give to a good home_.

"That basket can't be very comfortable, and it's freezing outside! You're lucky none of you caught a cold out there," Mrs. Ketchum said to herself quietly. The thought that someone would abandon these helpless children angered her, but she was cautious to remain quiet so as not to disturb her new visitors. She carried the basket upstairs into an empty bedroom and gently removed the three animals from the basket so as not to wake them; removing their bandanas so they could sleep comfortably and placing each one carefully on top of a bed. She nestled them safely underneath the covers with their heads poking out to lounge on individual pillows. Delia gave each one a gentle, loving rub on the head before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

Morning arrived and brought the first day of spring. The blizzard subsided, the air began to fill with gentle warmth, and light gleamed through the bedroom window. As the sunlight reached Charmander's eyelids, the slight irritation woke the creature up. It sat up in the bed and concentrated its blurry vision into focusing on the new surroundings. Charmander was relieved to see Bulbasaur and Squirtle asleep next to it on the left side. The infant lizard felt a stroke of curiosity take over as it climbed down from the bedside and landed on the wooden floor. But not before brushing Squirtle's face with its tail, waking it up.

"Mmmm…Charmander? What're you doing?" Asked the tiny turtle as it rubbed the sleep away from its eyes.

"Just taking a look around. I don't remember seeing this place yesterday. How did we get here?" asked Charmander both rhetorically and to its companion as it turned its head left and right to take in all the surroundings. Squirtle turned to Bulbasaur, who was still fast asleep.

"Hey Bulbasaur, wake up." said Squirtle as it forcefully shook the dozing dinosaur-esque creature. Bulbasaur softly murmured a small groan as its only response. "Come on, Bulba. Let's figure out where we are. This place is pretty different. You gotta see it!" Squirtle continued.

"Mmmm don't care…too tired. Just let me sleep." groaned Bulbasaur without moving from its comfortable position of rest.

"Awww, you're no fun, Bulba." said Squirtle.

"Yeah, you sleep through everything." added Charmander. Bulbasaur sat up; lifting its eye lids ever so slightly.

"The room will still be here when I get up." Bulbasaur responded.

"Yeah, but it won't be new anymore because Squirtle and I will have already seen everything before you finally get up!" Charmander remarked with a giggle. Bulbasaur rolled over in the bed to turn away from all the noise; wanting to sleep more than continuing the childish debate with Charmander and Squirtle. Charmander and Squirtle turned to each other and nodded, mutually agreeing on a mischievous plan as their eyelids narrowed. The two turned toward Bulbasaur and tugged at its bulb; attempting to physically pull their friend out of bed by force. The commotion continued as the voices of childish laughter escalated and filled the room. Once Bulbasaur finally gave in and woke up, the children decided to exit the room and explore the house. Just as they walked out into the hallway, Delia emerged from her bedroom across the hall, en route to clean downstairs according to her daily routine.

"Oh, good morning you three! Did you sleep well?" She asked. The trio was a bit nervous with this casual greeting since they had never met this woman before. Charmander decided to speak up.

"Uhhh, hello? Who are you and where are we exactly?"

"Oh, listen to me. I sound as if you've lived here for years. How silly!" Delia teased. "You can call me Mrs. Ketchum. Welcome to my home!"

"Thanks, but how did we get here?" Bulbasaur asked. Delia paused to think for a moment. She couldn't just tell these children that they were abandoned, could she?

"Well, I don't know exactly. Somehow you found your way to my front door last night, so I brought you in and gave you a place to stay for the night.

"That's so strange. I don't remember any of that happening." said Charmander.

"Me neither. It's all so weird. I can't remember anything besides waking up this morning." Bulbasaur added.

"Well, maybe a nice big breakfast will help jog your memories." Delia offered. Charmander and Bulbasaur grinned.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" said Charmander.

"Sure does! I'm starving!" said Bulbasaur.

"Wonderful! I'll show you to the kitchen!" said Delia as she led the way down the stairs. Bulbasaur stopped and looked back at the doorway to notice Squirtle still standing there.

"Hey, Squirtle, you coming?" asked Bulbasaur. Squirtle was feeling a little overwhelmed by his new surroundings and was reluctant to trust their new host. His numerous questions had locked him into a trance until Bulbasaur's words snapped him out of it. Shifting back into awareness, Squirtle shot his head up and turned to Bulbasaur while processing his question.

"Hmm? Oh…yeah. Let's go." Squirtle finally replied.

"Now what exactly do you three eat?" asked Delia once the group was fully assembled in the downstairs kitchen.

"Hmmmm…y'know, I can't remember what I usually eat..." said Charmander, confused.

"Really? How strange." Delia remarked. She proceeded to prepare a hardy breakfast of eggs, ham, bread rolls, fruit, and milk for four; hoping her visitors would be able to digest food that was possibly not traditionally made for them.

As the meal progressed, the group discussed their current situation.

"So Charmander, you said you can't remember what you used to eat? Haven't you ever had a meal before?" Mrs. Ketchum felt a shred of fear and sympathy and the very notion.

"Well of course! At least…I _think_ so. I'm not sure." He explained.

"Yeah, same here. Every time I think about anything before waking up this morning, there's just…nothing. It's like this is the very first day I've ever been alive!" said Squirtle.

"Well, that can't be right. You know how to do so much already. It's almost as if you've already been raised." Delia replied.

"It's like all I can remember is who I am and that I recognize Charmander and Squirtle. My mind just goes blank after that." said Bulbasaur. "Hey…wait a second, Mrs. Ketchum. How did you even know our names?"

"Well, I noticed you were each wearing a bandana with a pin attached that had each of your names on it." Delia clarified.

"So, you mentioned earlier that you found us outside, right? Does that mean…you're not out mom then?" asked Squirtle as his heart sank.

"Well, no…" Delia paused. "But I'm sure she's out there somewhere. And of course you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. It's no burden at all." Charmander let Mrs. Ketchum's words sink in as he pushed his chair away from the table and climbed down; turning and making his exit out of the kitchen.

"Well, thanks. That's pretty nice of you. But I think maybe my brothers and I should get going." said the orange lizard.

"Brothers? So, you're all boys then?" Delia guessed.

"Yeah…why? What else were you thinking?" asked Bulbasaur. Delia's cheeks flushed slightly red.

"Oh…well, I just thought that Squirtle's pink bandana meant..." Delia trailed off. Squirtle gasped in astonishment and gave off a blush of his own.

"What!? No! I'm a boy too!" Squirtle shouted in frustration. Bulbasaur and Charmander's eyes met and the two burst out laughing at Delia's mistake.

"Hahaha! Ohh this is _too_ rich!" Charmander wailed as his eyes watered.

"Well, now that you mention it, he does have the _pink_ bandana!" Bulbasaur added as he flailed about on the floor with hysteria.

"Stop it, guys! It's not funny!" shouted Squirtle in anger.

"Of course it is!" replied Charmander, obviously enjoying the torment Squirtle was enduring. Delia kneeled down to Squirtle's level and hugged him gently when she noticed him turn his back towards the group and fold his arms in frustration.

"I'm so sorry, Squirtle. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. Can you forgive me?" she asked him softly. Squirtle's tense muscles loosened. He turned to face Delia.

"Yeah…I guess so." he replied as he settled into the soft, gentleness of Delia's embracing hug. With the joke having run its course, Charmander and Bulbasaur settled down from their laughter and turned to leave the room.

"Well, come on guys. Let's head out." Charmander directed.

"Where are we goin, Charmander?" asked Squirtle. Charmander stopped at the door with his tiny hand on the knob.

"Well, Mrs. Ketchum has been nice to us, but don'tcha think we should be out trying to find our way home? I mean, we must have real parents somewhere so this isn't _really_ our home." he explained. A pin-drop silence followed as Bulbasaur and Squirtle cringed at the harshness of that statement. Delia's heart sank at the very thought of the children thinking they were not welcome in her home; especially when she didn't know if they really had anywhere else to go. But, she knew she wasn't really their mother and didn't feel she had room to argue with Charmander's logic; cruel as she may have felt it was. It was at that moment that she thought of _him_, and found her courage to speak up anyway.

"Well, you're right about that." said Delia. "I may not be your real mother, so I can't stop you from leaving." She then kneeled down and softly caressed Squirtle's cheek. "But," she continued, "Caring for the young and innocent has always been what's most important to me. It's a part of who I am." Delia shifted her attention to the brothers standing together by the front door. "So please don't _ever_ feel you aren't welcome in my home because you always will be. You can _always _come back here if you ever need a warm bed to sleep in," Delia looked specifically at Bulbasaur. "Or a home-cooked meal," She turned to Charmander. "Or someone to comfort you." She finally glanced at Squirtle. The three of them smiled. "My home will _always _be a place for you to return to."

Delia put as much weight as she could behind her words. The truth of the matter was that she couldn't stop thinking about _him _as she spoke of giving love and kindness and her harsh feelings were starting to seep through. She missed him deeply and she saw him when she looked into each of their eyes. She wondered where he was or why he wasn't at home with her. She wondered why she couldn't even remember his name. At the root of it all, Delia was desperate to remember him; she would give anything to recall any sort of memory that would bring him closer to her; bring him back into her life. All that remained was a series of disconnected thoughts and fragments of scattered recollections. Every time Delia thought of _him_, she put her hand on the back of her neck, as if touching said spot could help her reclaim her missing thoughts.

Charmander's eyelids narrowed in wholesome understanding and he nodded. "Hmm. Alright, we'll remember that." He promised as he placed the tips of his three stubby fingers to his head; symbolically signifying that the promise had been cemented into his mind. "Thanks again for everything, Mrs. Ketchum."

"You're welcome, Charmander." Delia replied with a nod of her head and a modest smile. With that, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur said their good-byes and strolled down the dirt pathway through Mrs. Ketchum's front yard; passing the white picket fence towards the bottom of the hill and preparing for the lengthy trek along the stretching path extending out of sight that awaited them. Delia stood at her doorway; waving and watching until the three sweetest and most wondrous orphans she had ever met walked out of her sight.


	2. A Place to Return to

**Chapter 2: A Place to Return to**

Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur walked several miles as the day wore on into the afternoon through the countryside fields of endless grass under the navy blue sky. The trio wandered across the land for hours and later took refuge under a nearby tree just as the sun began to set. Charmander looked onward to the dazzling, orange horizon; lost in his thoughts. Truthfully, he didn't know where exactly he and his brothers were going or what they were to do. "Where _did_ we come from? Why aren't we there now?" he asked himself. His thoughts were interrupted with the groans of his turtle brother.

"How much farther do we have to walk, Charmander?" he asked. "I'm exhausted, not to mention starving."

"I have to side with Squirtle on this one, bro. I'm pretty hungry too and at this rate, we won't last long out here. I mean, we didn't bring _anything_. Besides, do you have _any _idea where we are?" Bulbasaur inquired of Charmander. Charmander was silent and shut his eyes as if to drown out all the complaints and concerns. He didn't want to admit that he was clueless and he felt threatened as though his leadership was being questioned.

"Charmander? You do have a plan, don't you?" Bulbasaur continued. Charmander released a heavy sigh.

"Well…no. But we've been on the road for a while so we have to be getting close to a town or something." Charmander replied.

"We _passed_ by a town hours ago and we can't keep walking forever, especially now when it'll be dark soon. Besides, Squirtle can't go much farther on an empty stomach. Neither can I at this point." Bulbasaur explained. Immediately after, Squirtle walked up to his lizard brother and smacked Charmander on the backside of his head; causing him to kneel over, cradling his head as he winced and groaned in pain.

"If I had known I was going to be starving like this I would've stuffed my face back at Mrs. Ketchum's house!" shouted Squirtle.

"Or we could've at least asked her for food to take on the road. We're not very good at this traveling stuff, are we?" said Bulbasaur. Squirtle sighed again.

"Can't you two think about anything other than _food_ for once!?" Charmander retaliated.

"Can't _you _think about anyone other than yourself!?" Squirtle argued. The two locked hands with each other in an attempt to overpower one other; eyes bursting with frustration. Bulbasaur stepped between them and separated the combatants with his two front paws.

"Stop it! Arguing isn't getting us anywhere!" Bulbasaur inserted. He continued with a sigh of relief as his brothers listened to his words and backed away from one another. "Look, we're all just a little tired from walking all day and hunger is just making us all a little on edge right now. Let's just get some sleep and we'll figure out what to do next in the morning." Squirtle and Charmander each nodded in agreement despite the anger that still lingered in their glares. Without another word, the three brothers nestled together under the tree as the sun vanished behind the distant hills of green; turning them to black, stealing the light of the sky with it and leaving darkness and a trail of stars in its wake.

He tossed and turned but try as he might, Squirtle found it impossible to fall asleep. Sitting up, he rubbed from his eyes what little sleep he had managed to gather and looked at the stretching path in front of his view from the sideline. Firstly, Squirtle gazed yonder to places yet unseen by him, but with no destination in sight; only endless road, grass, and sky. He then shifted his attention towards the path that he had already traveled. The tiny turtle could not ignore the nagging feelings inside him any longer. His mind was made up. Squirtle got to his feet, took one final look at Charmander and Bulbasaur in their undisturbed slumber, and began walking away.

Nightfall soon reached the Ketchum household. Delia washed her dinner plate and felt a sudden current of emotional pain surge through her body when she noticed the three other plates resting in the sink and reminding her of her morning visitors. She barely knew or understood anything about them, yet she missed them already. Mysterious or not, those three children were the first company she'd had in years. The house seemed alive again for the first time in much too long when Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle were around. Delia didn't want to return to the stillness and haunting silence of her empty abode that plagued her every day. She had done whatever cleaning she could to get her mind off the boys. All the floors in the house had been swept; there was nothing to wash, fold, or organize; she enjoyed dusting the shelves and bookcases to an extent. However, she hated even glancing at _his_ picture. It instantly reminded her how much she missed him and frustrated her with how badly she wanted to remember him but couldn't. The harsh reality was that Delia was a ghost in her own house. She lived alone out here in the country. She had no neighbors to visit, no man to love anymore, no children to raise. The trio of tiny creatures was her most recent opportunity to find fulfillment in her life again, and she was disappointed in herself for letting them walk straight out the door and out of her life, even if she did feel it was for the best to let them go.

Having run out of preoccupations, Delia decided to sleep her troubles away. She made her way up the stairs and stopped in the hallway outside the guest room. Delia opened the door and saw the empty bed with its blanket lying in shambles. As much as the trio had known already, they must have never been taught to make their beds. Delia wasn't annoyed or even angry though. She didn't mind at all to make the bed for them. Rather, she would have enjoyed it if the bed didn't remind her of the boys and instantly make her eyes water. Mrs. Ketchum missed those three with all of her heart. Why had God brought them to her; brought her this single ounce of joy after years of suffering and loneliness, only to snatch it away from her? Sitting up and drying her eyes, Delia noticed neon green, pink, and dark blue bandanas resting on the desk against the wall on the opposite side of the room. _Bulbasaur_, _Charmander_, _Squirtle_. She read each of the names embedded on the pins several times. Delia wanted to engrave their names into her memory forever. These names were all she had to remember them by and the handkerchiefs were all she had left of the little orphans. She intended to cherish them for all eternity.

Light engulfed the grasslands as the sun rose once more. Charmander woke up, gathered his consciousness, and immediately began planning for the day's journey ahead. Bulbasaur awoke not long after, but was surprised to notice one of his brothers being absent.

"Hey Char, where's Squirtle?" Bulbasaur asked. Charmander looked around and noticed firsthand of the new development.

"I dunno. I didn't even hear him get up." Charmander confessed.

"Do you think maybe he left without us?" the bulb-baring creature asked.

"Are you kiddin'? We were all exhausted last night. No way would he just ditch us like that!" Charmander replied.

"What if something bad happened to him?" Bulbasaur theorized.

"Oh, so _we're_ not good enough to be captured or whatever but Squirtle is? Give me a break, Bulbasaur!" Charmander remarked.

"Well we can't just leave without him. What are we supposed to do now?" Bulbasaur asked. Charmander rubbed his chin and stared off into the sky; submerging himself in thought.

"Hmmmmmm. Well, we didn't eat last night; and he was the hungriest out of all of us. We did pass a town but I doubt Squirtle would've wandered into it by himself…" he trailed off. Charmander snapped his fingers, having come to a realization. "I have an idea of where Squirtle went! Come on!" Without allowing another word in the discussion, Charmander grabbed Bulbasaur's paw; motioning him to hurriedly follow. Thus, the two set off hastily sprinting down the dirt road and leaving a trail of dust behind them.

Delia opened her eyes as the morning sunlight penetrated her window and covered her bedroom. Barely awake, Delia decided to sleep in for once and, without moving a muscle, drifted back to sleep. It wasn't long before she was awoken by the sound of a distant crash. Her sense of alertness kicked in at an instant as she registered the reality that someone was in her house. Delia quickly shuffled out of bed and carefully crept down the hall and stairs. Everything seemed normal. Delia reached for her trusty broom and prepared to attack a hiding intruder. Delia entered the kitchen, looked down at the floor and shrieked when she instantly noticed something move even though the room was still too dark for her to see what it was.

"EEEEEEEEEEK! WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU BREAK INTO MY HOME! TAKE THAT YOU AWFUL THING!" Delia screamed as she began swatting profusely at the moving shadow on her kitchen floor.

"Ouch! Hey! Ow! Cut it out! Stop it!" the shadow yelped in response. Delia froze when she heard a familiar voice. Sunlight gleamed through the kitchen window to reveal Squirtle as the intruder.

"Squirtle!? Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I thought you were some kind of burglar or squirrel or something! Are you alright?" Delia panicked. Still sitting on the kitchen floor, Squirtle looked up at Delia as he rubbed his throbbing head from the swatting.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle ya or anything. It was just so dark when I climbed through that window that I couldn't see a thing so I must've fallen off the counter. "Squirtle explained.

"Goodness! You're not hurt, are you?" Delia asked.

"No, I don't think so. Well…except maybe my tail." Squirtle carefully stroked his swirly blue tail behind his leg.

"Oh you poor thing..." Delia murmured softly. She reached out to pet Squirtle's tail, but instantly retracted her hand when she saw it jerk back upon contact. She looked up at Squirtle's face to notice him wince in pain. Her guilt and sympathy sky-rocketed at that moment. "Yes, something seems to be wrong with it. Does it hurt?" She asked.

"Yeah...a little." Squirtle replied.

"Hmmm you might've sprained it when you fell off the counter." Delia gathered. She picked Squirtle up and carried him into the living room where she placed him on a green sofa. "You just sit tight while I get some bandage and herbs for it." Delia said as she went upstairs. Returning a minute later, Delia began rubbing a turquoise paste on Squirtle's tail and proceeded to bandage it up gently. "Does that feel better?"

"Yeah, it feels great now!" Squirtle replied cheerfully.

"So, why exactly did you come back here? And where are your brothers?" Delia asked.

"Hehe..well, ya see we were walking all day yesterday and stopped by a tree to rest. I was starving but we didn't have any food. Charmander and I got in a fight and Bulbasaur had to break it up. We fell asleep by the tree without eating and I tried my best to just fall asleep. I really did! But I kept waking up. I knew the only place we knew of that had food was here so I kinda just got up and left to come back here. "Squirtle elaborated. Deep down Delia had a feeling it was more than just food that brought Squirtle back to her. She quickly realized that Squirtle had also come alone.

"So do they even know you're here!?" She asked.

"No, probably not. I mean, I guess I could've tried to wake 'em up. But, they probably wouldn't have gone with me if I asked them to." said Squirtle.

"So you came all this way back here by yourself in the middle of the night?" Delia theorized; requesting clarification.

"Mm hmm, that's right." Squirtle confirmed; nodding his head with his eyes closed in satisfaction. "It was a little hard to see in the dark, but I found my way."

"So why did you climb in through the window when you got here?" Delia asked curiously.

"Well, I did knock on the door, but you must've been asleep and couldn't hear me." Squirtle deducted. "So I wandered around the yard and saw an open window. I climbed through to the kitchen, but it was still pretty dark so I didn't see the edge of the counter before I fell off…hehe oops.." He continued; rubbing the back of his head in admittance of his clumsiness. "I guess I'm not very good at breaking in to people's homes!"

"Oh you poor thing. I didn't want you to go through so much trouble!" said Delia as her worried, motherly instinct kicked in. "You must be starving, having come all this way. I'll go cook something up for you right away! You just make yourself comfortable there on the sofa." Delia instructed. Squirtle didn't object. A few moments later, Delia returned with a full plate of food, to which Squirtle wasted no time in devouring.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and a roaring familiar voice invaded the room.

"Ah-HA! I _knew _I'd find you here!" screamed Charmander as he pointed his accusing fingers at Squirtle with anger in his black and emerald eyes. In a flash, he charged at his brother in a fit of rage but was quickly tackled and held in place on the ground by Bulbasaur.

"Charmander, you know beating Squirtle to a pulp isn't going to help!" Bulbasaur explained.

"Arrgh, get off me! Let me go so I can get my claws on that traitor!" Charmander wailed. Squirtle had just finished cleaning his plate when he waved his stubby blue hands in a halting gesture.

"You've got it all wrong, guys. I didn't mean to ditch you." Squirtle corrected.

"Then why'd you run off like that, Squirt? Didn't you think we'd get worried when we noticed you weren't with us?" Bulbasaur replied. A sense of guilt and remorse filled Squirtle's eyes.

"Well, yeah of course. But I just couldn't take it anymore. I _had_ to get something to eat…" He explained even though he knew his story wasn't going to sell. Charmander knocked Bulbasaur backwards off from on top of him. He folded his arms, shut his eyes, and turned his head away in disapproval.

"You really are hopeless, baby brother." He smirked. Squirtle's eyes narrowed in disapproval of the orange lizard's comment.

"You _know_ I don't like it when you call me that! We're all the same age!" Squirtle retorted. Charmander turned his head back to facing Squirtle with his eyes still shut; acting as if he had complete control over the conversation. He decided to taunt Squirtle for sitting in the chair, looking as though he were high and mighty in comparison to him and Bulbasaur.

"Oh, I'm sorry, your _highness_. I didn't mean to offend you. Please, climb down from your throne so we can stop wasting time and get back on the road. We've lost enough of it as it is backtracking here because of you. "Charmander explained.

"Why do you always blame _me _for everything!?" Squirtle shouted angrily.

"Because it's always _your _fault!" Charmander replied in equal frustration.

"I bet you can't name any other time it was my fault for something bad that happened because you can't remember anything, remember? You don't know where we're from, how we got here in the first place, or where we're supposed to go out there!" said Squirtle.

"Tch! Well, at least I can remember how much you hate being called the baby! I still have that!" Charmander shrugged off Squirtle's jab. Deep down he didn't have a direct response to his brother's criticism, but he could _never_ admit to being wrong.

"That's _enough_! Do you guys always have to fight all the time?" Bulbasaur interjected. He almost couldn't believe the two were fighting yet again. _Am I always going to have to break them up like this_? He wondered to himself. His immediate call for a stalemate prevailed, however, as the room fell to an eerie silence for a brief moment; long enough for the brothers to turn and notice Mrs. Ketchum standing in the entry way to the room, observing them passively.

"Uhhh, how long have you been standing there, Mrs. Ketchum? Bulbasaur asked; feeling slightly embarrassed for his brothers' bickering.

"Since I heard Charmander bust through the door." Delia replied with a frown.

"Listen, I'm sorry about my brothers. Charmander didn't mean to barge through your door and start all this yelling. Isn't that right?" said Bulbasaur; turning to Charmander.

"Hmph!" Charmander snorted with persistent anger still throbbing in his eyes. Bulbasaur nudged him with his front paw.

"I _said_, isn't that right, Char?" Bulbasaur reiterated with slight force.

"Yeah…sorry." said Charmander; practically spitting the words out of his mouth. He cared more about tearing Squirtle down a peg or two than the consequences of his actions. Delia released a heavy sigh of both frustration and relief. She really hated to watch these three children argue, but she was mostly relieved it was over.

"That's alright. Now, I must insist that everyone settle down and relax here for a while. Charmander, Bulbasaur, I want the two of you to sit down and eat. A nice hot meal will do you a world of good. Squirtle, in the mean time you should get some rest. You were up all night walking here and you aren't going anywhere any time soon. "Delia instructed.

"Listen, that's nice of you but we really should-"

"I said I _insist _you relax a while!" Delia interrupted. Charmander submitted to Delia's authority out of fear of the veracity in her voice.

"Now before, I let you go off on your own so easily because I trusted the three of you to take care of yourselves out there, but the very fact that you're back under my roof at each other's throats means you're incapable of it. You're too young and inexperienced to live on your own without any guidance. So from this moment on, the three of you will live here together with me under my authority. I will raise you as my own children and teach you so that you can grow up to be wise, nurtured, and responsible. Is that clear?" Delia explained. The trio sat still and nodded in silent understanding. They'd never expected such a response from Mrs. Ketchum given their first impression of her. Charmander walked into the kitchen, but Bulbasaur stayed in the room with Squirtle.

"Hunger wasn't really the reason you came back, was it?" asked Bulbasaur.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Squirtle replied.

"You know, it's okay if you missed Mrs. Ketchum. We're all a little scared right now. But don't worry. We'll always be okay as long as we have each other and Mrs. Ketchum is here for us now." Bulbasaur looked down at Squirtle's injury. "Besides, with that tail of your's out of commission, it's not like we would've been able to leave anyway."

"No, Charmander wouldn't want to wait for me. I bet you guys would leave without me. He doesn't care about me…"

"I think he does. Because I sure do. I think Charmander has trouble picking his words sometimes. That's all." Bulbasaur climbed up onto the sofa and rubbed the back of Squirtle's shell with his front paw. "Get some rest, Squirt. Everything will be okay." Bulbasaur assured. Squirtle smiled back. His eyelids grew heavy and the tiny turtle laid back in his chair to drift off to sleep. Bulbasaur climbed down and entered the kitchen to eat.

Elsewhere, a blinding light pierced through the darkness of the night, and Brandon emerged from the light just before it vanished into thin air; dawning a dark beige trench coat and hood. He clutched his hood tightly before an evening gust could blow it off. The man couldn't afford to give away his identity to anyone. Brandon walked several miles in the darkness before witnessing a modest glow of light; a city lying yonder not far from him. As he strolled up to the town, he glanced at a nearby wooden sign reading _Welcome to Pallet Town_. There was no doubt about it. He had definitely been here before. Things were finally getting on track.


	3. Charmander Walks a Mile

**Chapter 3: Charmander Walks a Mile**

A few months had passed since the trio moved into the Ketchum household. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were adjusting well to their new home. Their bed was cozy and warm, they always had a well-prepared meal awaiting them, and as they made themselves comfortable here in this humble abode, Mrs. Ketchum steadily incorporated responsibilities in the form of chores and errands for the young ones to complete in order to help them learn and mature.

Delia often took the trio into the plaza, located a modest walk from their home, when she shopped in the market to help them adjust to the outside world as well. Pallet Town was small in comparison to the vast plains of grass and mountains stretching endlessly in all directions, but the town was still heavily populated with business and buildings. The townsfolk were a bit disturbed upon their first sight of Delia's adopted children, but life quickly adapted. Squirtle was fascinated by all the people, sights, and sounds stirring around him under the gleaming sun although he never strayed far from Delia's side when she was with them. Bulbasaur was also taking in the change of environment well at his own reserved pace. Things couldn't seem to be any better and everyone was enjoying life.

Everyone that is, except for Charmander. Unlike his brothers, Charmander was growing quite restless and bored with such a simple life at home. He was itching for any excitement and the rush of taking risks or experiencing thrills. While Squirtle and Bulbasaur would stay close to Mrs. Ketchum during the frequent trips into town, Charmander often wandered off and always found some sort of trouble; whether he was touching things he wasn't supposed to, inadvertently tipping structures and stands over, accidentally breaking windows and pottery with air-borne pebbles Charmander found on the ground, or simply demonstrating no manners or self-control when choosing his words.

Delia always reprimanded the tiny lizard for all his troublesome deeds, but the lessons never seemed to stick with him for long. She was growing embarrassed to take him anywhere and she certainly couldn't trust him at home by himself. The people of Pallet Town knew Delia meant well and was doing the best she could to steer Charmander down the right path, but the fact of the matter was growing harder to ignore. Charmander was just too wild and different from Squirtle or Bulbasaur. He just couldn't be raised the same way and be expected to uphold quite the same responsibilities. Something needed to be done. The townsfolk wanted to ban Charmander from the town square, but they always inevitably strayed away from this decision when they would reflect upon the good behavior of Bulbasaur and Squirtle. They believed deep down that Charmander _had _to have similar qualities if he really was their brother, so the ban just never materialized despite its frequent proposals. All they could do was keep hoping that the good nature of his brothers would eventually rub off on Charmander.

Delia also noticed that Charmander had a bit of a short temper and was naturally aggressive. He grew easily frustrated and upset when situations did not go the way he wanted. He roughhoused with Bulbasaur and Squirtle quite from time to time and was easy to get confrontational with other children. Unfortunately, Delia felt helpless to guide Charmander. She didn't know how to get through to him, nor what was causing him to act out so frequently. He was just too wild, restless, and never wanted to talk about his problems. Delia disliked seeing Charmander so unhappy, but she didn't know what she could do for him. _Maybe he just needs a father figure as someone to look up to_. Mrs. Ketchum often wondered this to herself. If this was so, it was a kind of guidance she could never provide him with herself.

Delia enrolled the boys in the local school in order for them to learn to read and write. Just with the people of Pallet Town, the students and teacher needed time to adjust to the new abnormal students, but incorporating them into routine was not impossible. Delia had raised them well enough so far and taught them proper manners, allowing them to adapt to their new environment without much hassle. The trio's time in school was not without trouble, however. Although Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle tried their best in school, things didn't prove to be so easy. Bulbasaur struggled with writing due to him being the only student in the class without opposable thumbs. He often had to hold the pencil in between his teeth, which gave him terrible neck pains as he tilted his head to hold the utensil vertically; and despite his best effort, Bulbasaur's handwriting was completely illegible most of the time. Squirtle was very shy and very self-conscious. He didn't enjoy being with anyone other than his brothers and because of his gentle demeanor, bullying was a constant battle for him; always relying on Charmander to stand up for him and pick fights with the other children in a demand for respect and authority on the playground. The teacher had deemed Charmander a trouble student with a serious discipline problem and general lack of motivation for learning. He was described as violent, disruptive, and inattentive. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Delia did everything they could to keep him under control and in line, but the risk of expulsion always seemed to linger. Charmander was just viewed as an outcast by everyone around him except his family.

It was an unusually quiet morning at the Ketchum household. Delia and her three adopted sons were slowly enjoying their breakfast. The silence that filled the room was new and slightly off-putting. Delia noticed Charmander in particular wasn't acting like his usual exuberant self. He hadn't even touched his food. Instead he seemed content with just staring intently at his plate as if he were waiting for his eyes to chew the food in front of him.

"Charmander, is something wrong?" Delia asked. Charmander didn't respond. He hadn't even noticed his name was called. Delia asked him again.

"Hmm?" Charmander finally looked up from his breakfast as if he had just been pulled out of a deep trance. "No, I'm fine. Just…fine." He responded.

"But you haven't touched your breakfast." Delia pointed out with concern.

"I'm….not really hungry." said Charmander. He pushed his chair out from against the table. "May I be excused?" He asked.

"Well, yes but you'll probably be starving later, sweetie." said Delia.

"Like I care…." Charmander muttered under his breath so no one could hear him. The tiny lizard climbed down from his chair, exited the kitchen, and crossed the living room to leave the house; shutting the front door behind him. The remaining occupants of the kitchen said nothing for the remainder of the meal; each one too full of worry and uncertainty.

"Should we go keep an eye on him?" Squirtle asked out loud.

"No, we'd only push him away more." replied Bulbasaur. "Let's give him some time alone and he can talk when he's ready to." Squirtle nodded his head in agreement. After clearing the table, Bulbasaur and Squirtle went off to do their morning chores around the front yard while Delia washed the dishes. She was so proud of how Squirtle and Bulbasaur were turning out; always so responsible and rash. She knew deep down that Charmander was capable of just as much. She only wished she could figure out how to bring out that side of him.

Charmander wandered down the winding path of the front yard and made his way towards Pallet Town. Passing through the plaza, Charmander didn't make eye contact with any of the bustling, busy townspeople. He knew all the same that he was receiving nothing but judgmental glares from eyes filled to the retinas with disappointment and disgust. They assumed just from looking at Charmander that he was up to no good. They'd almost come to expect it, regardless of how much they wished he'd stop being so troublesome. Charmander didn't care though. They could think whatever they wanted to about him and it wouldn't make a difference to the tiny lizard. To Charmander, this town was nothing but boredom and disappointment. Nobody ever wanted to have fun or take risks. Everything was just too safe and people were just too cowardly for his tastes. People all around him always seemed to look down at him for wanting more out of life; for wanting to be different. Charmander questioned how someone like him could end up in such a dull and lifeless place to begin with. _Couldn't there be a better world out there for him than this_?

Charmander reached the edge of town and made himself comfortable on a large rock under the shade of a tree next to the river. This was his favorite spot to hang out and relax. Very rarely would people come down all this way to bother him. Although the tree shielded the tiny lizard from the intrusive glare of the sun's light, Charmander fell victim to the summer air's warmth and began to doze off.

Later that afternoon, Charmander awoke from his nap and sat up from the rock. Deep down he had been hoping that everything he knew was just a bad dream and that he would wake up somewhere new in a life more suited to his nature. But, that wasn't the case for him. The life that he was living and dreading was as real as the rock he was lounging on.

Charmander leaned his head back, only to be suddenly greeted by a smiling, unfamiliar face.

"Gahh!" Charmander shrieked and fell off his rock after losing his balance. Charmander was looking at a tall girl with long, curly, golden blonde hair and emerald eyes standing behind the rock with her face mere inches from his.

"Hiya!" the girl said cheerfully.

"How long have you been standing there?" Charmander asked.

"Oh, a few minutes I'd say. I wanted to see how long it would take you to notice me standing here." The girl explained. Charmander narrowed his eyelids in irritation.

"Right….and you couldn't just say 'hello?'" Charmander inquired.

"I could've, but I felt surprising you would be funny; and I was right, hehe!" said the girl with a chuckle as she shut her eyes in satisfaction. Charmander was not amused by this little prank. He rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Whaddya want? Can't you see I was busy?" said Charmander.

"Well, aren't you a rude little stick in the mud. I just wanted to have a little fun with you." said the girl. "Besides, it looked to me like you were just taking a nap. But if that's all you're in to, then fine. I guess I'll be on my way." The girl replied as she turned and began to walk away. Charmander instantly remembered complaining to himself about never having any fun mere minutes ago, and now he realized that he had just turned his one opportunity down. He couldn't let this get away!

"Wait!" Charmander shouted after her.

"Yeah?" said the girl.

"Don't go. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I was just a little startled I guess." Charmander confessed as he scratched the back of his head with guilt.

"Hmph! Well, I guess I shouldn't expect any less from a _brat_ like you." Said the girl.

"_What _did you call me!?" Charmander responded angrily.

"Lighten up, I'm just messing with you. But it's true. I mean, you're short and you act like such a kid." the girl elaborated

"I do not!" Charmander barked back. He didn't enjoy being taunted like this in the slightest.

"See, you even argue like one!" the girl retorted playfully. Charmander didn't respond as he felt defeated. The girl approached Charmander, kneeled down, and petted him on the head. "You're so cute. What's your name?" she asked.

"Charmander." the orange lizard stated flatly.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Charmander! I'm Serena!" Serena extended her hand forward for a cordial handshake. Charmander just stood there, staring at her hand. He knew he was supposed to lock his hand with hers, but he was still feeling angry over losing to her witty banter.

"Gosh, don't you have any manners at all?" Serena inquired with slight disgust.

"Hmph! Well I just don't think I should have to shake your hand because I don't like you." said Charmander coldly.

"Well that's too bad, because I like _you_, and I think we should be friends. Even if you are just a grumpy little sore-loser." said Serena; still playing with her new acquaintance.

"Do you _always _just blurt out what's on your mind?" asked Charmander.

"Sure, I mean you're not the only one who can. Even though I see that burns you up inside, you'll just have to live with that." said Serena. Charmander released all of his built-up anger with a heavy exhale. He didn't feel like arguing anymore. So the two decided to take a walk and get to know each other.

"So, are you new around here?" stated Charmander.

"Well, yeah. My mom and I just moved here a few days ago." said Serena.

"Where are you from?"

"Pretty far away actually. This place is _totally_ different from my last home, and it's prettier too!"

"What was your last home like?"

"It was cold and gray and it rained all the time. Even though a lot of things were automated and done for you and it was supposed to make our lives easier, nobody there was ever happy, including my family." Charmander found himself growing interested in Serena's descriptions. Her hometown sounded new and exciting and Charmander wanted to see it. The two sat together on a wooden fence and watched the setting sun as Serena continued telling her story to Charmander, who was listening and watching her with intense focus.

"So wait, you didn't have to do things yourself?" Charmander asked curiously.

"Nope, pretty much everything was done for me. It got pretty boring actually. I like it here much better. I like doing things on my own and I feel like I can make a new start for myself. I'd give anything to leave the old one behind for good…" Serena trailed off. Charmander frowned with concern when he looked at Serena's expression and mood drop.

"What was wrong with your old life? Why'd you need a new one?"

"Well, when I was born, everyone was trying to get out of the city. It was a huge mess and it was pretty scary too. People were getting killed left and right. See, there were these thugs that took over a while back and they started messing with everyone for no reason as far as I know. When people tried to stand up to them or even try to get out of the city, the gang would kill them without question. My dad disappeared when I was little and I never saw or heard from him again. Mom and I had been trying to leave city for years and we finally got out when some big war erupted not so long ago and distracted the gang long enough for us to slip away unnoticed. It was awful there and I hope I never go back. My mom had heard about this place when she was just a girl and always wanted to live here. I can see why. The land is gorgeous and life is just so peaceful and easy here. You must love being able to watch this sunset every day."

It took a minute for Charmander to process that Serena's story was over. He was surprised. He had never paid attention to anything this close in his life. He loved listening to Serena talk about her old home and wished he could see it for himself. Charmander was really enjoying Serena's company. He had never felt this way before. She was just the kind of friend he wanted. Someone who wasn't so afraid to be honest and wasn't always trying to pretend everything was so perfect when he felt it wasn't.

"What about you, Charmander? How long have you lived here?" Serena asked.

"Well, actually I've only been here for a few months, but I wasn't born here or anything. I don't really know where I came from or how I got here. All I can remember is waking up in some house one morning with my brothers, and that's when we met Mrs. Ketchum." Charmander explained.

"Who's that?" Serena asked curiously. Charmander began explaining all about his life up to that moment. He told her about his brothers Squirtle and Bulbasaur, Mrs. Ketchum's endless hospitality, why they decided to stay with her, his trouble in school, and his bad reputation with the citizens of Pallet Town.

"I just get so bored of this place. Nothing ever happens here and people treat me so differently just because I don't think the same way as them. Mrs. Ketchum means well but she treats us like babies when I _know_ we can take care of ourselves. I wish I could see your hometown, Serena; even if it were just for a little while because it sounds a whole lot better than staying here my whole life." Charmander explained.

"Why don't you just leave then? I mean, why stay here if you're not happy?" Serena asked.

"Bulbasaur would never let me just walk out on them like that and I can't convince the guys to come with me because Squirtle's gotten so comfy at Mrs. Ketchum's house that he never wants to leave. He can be such a pain sometimes. "

"I think your family sounds sweet. I'd love to meet them sometime!" said Serena.

"Trust me, if you actually lived with them, you wouldn't think so."

"You sure about that? It doesn't sound to me like you're being very fair with them."

"Maybe. It's just that sometimes I wonder what else is out there and I just feel like my family and my slow, mundane life here is just holding me back."

"Well, my mom told me something once that I think might help."

"What's that?"

"As long as there are people who matter to you, you're not missing a thing." Charmander let Serena's words sink in. He didn't have anything more to say.

"Well, it's getting late and I have an errand to run before I head home. Will I see you around sometime?" Serena asked.

"Huh? Oh! Y-yeah! Of course!" Charmander replied enthusiastically.

"Great, well see ya!" Serena shouted as she walked away. Charmander rushed home to tell his family all about his time with his new friend Serena. The three listened quietly, relieved to see Charmander in a much better mood. _Maybe_…_just maybe things will get easier for you now_. Delia thought to herself.

Serena was walking home from the Pallet Town market with a bag full of ingredients her mother needed to prepare dinner. Suddenly, she bumped shoulders with a mysterious man in a beige cloak and hood. The clash caused a few continents of the bag to fall out to the ground. As Serena kneeled down to pick them up, she heard a deep voice mutter "Please excuse me." Serena looked up to get a better look at the body whom the voice belonged to, but was shocked to see that he was already gone; nowhere to be seen. The strangest part of the encounter to Serena was that the voice sounded familiar to her.


	4. Scuffle in Pallet Square

**Chapter 4: Scuffle in Pallet Square**

Delia didn't know what to expect one morning when she discovered the boys exhibiting strange symptoms. Charmander had what appeared to be a terrible fever, but the intense warmth could be felt from all over his body instead of only his forehead. Not to mention that he was occasionally sneezing small bits of fire. Squirtle had a similar sneezing problem with bubbles. Bulbasaur wasn't running a fever or a sneezing fit, but the bulb on his back grew two small stubs on the side. Delia's motherly instincts were insisting that Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle were sick since they'd never shown these signs before, but each of them insisted that they felt fine. Nothing added up. Delia resolved to make a house call for a doctor to check up on them.

"Now open wide for me and say 'ahhhh.'" said Dr. Bearne as he placed a popsicle stick onto Squirtle's tongue. "Hmmm...well Mrs. Ketchum, if there is a problem with them, I can't seem to find it."

"Ahhh...AAH-CHOO!" Charmander sneezed as a few sparks of fire hit the floor. "Hehe…sorry." He said with a sniff as he wiped his nose. Charmander stamped his foot to put out the tiny flames on the floor.

"Then again, your…'boys' here aren't exactly common around these parts so their immune systems could function on a completely different scale than what I've worked with." Dr. Bearne continued.

"I'm telling you, I feel fine!" Squirtle insisted.

"Me too." Agreed Bulbasaur.

"Well, if you insist, then I suppose there's not much else I can do at the moment. However," he turned to Delia, "if things change and they do begin to feel sick, give me another call." Dr. Bearne concluded.

"I will, thank you." Delia obliged with a nod. She followed Dr. Bearne out of the room to see the man to the door. Delia greatly disliked all this uncertainty. She wanted to understand Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur so much. As far as she was concerned, they were her children and she loved them tremendously and was concerned by their "symptoms." They were all she had left and all she could resolve to think about. Losing them would be too much for her to handle.

Feeling intrigued by the morning's new development, the trio decided to head out to the front yard to test out their "ailments."

"M'kay, let's see if I can do that thing again!" said Charmander. He took a deep breath and tried to shoot out sparks again, but his mouth came up empty.

"Hey, let me try!" Squirtle shouted. He took a deep breath as well and exhaled with great ferocity, but also came up empty. "Hey, what's going on? I swear I could shoot out bubbles a minute ago." Squirtle trailed off with disappointment.

"Yeah, and I thought I could spit out flames." Charmander added.

"There has to be more to all of this..." Bulbasaur proposed as he examined his bulb-stubs.

"More to all what?" A familiar voice chimed in. The boys turned to notice Serena walking up to their house.

"Hey Serena, we've got superpowers! Isn't that cool!?" Squirtle announced.

"Say what?" Serena asked.

"We don't know _what_ it is, Squirtle." Bulbasaur clarified.

"What exactly is going on?" Serena asked curiously.

"Well see, we woke up this morning and we started doing all this weird stuff. I was sneezing fire, Squirtle was sneezing bubbles, and...well, I don't really know what's going on with Bulbasaur." said Charmander. Serena looked over and examined Bulbasaur's stubs.

"Sooo, you've got some kind of fire power up your nose, Squirtle can make snot bubbles, and Bulbasaur's going through plant puberty?" Serena concluded with a laugh.

"No! They were really cool and…ugh I wish I could just show you!" Squirtle shouted.

"What's puberty?" Bulbasaur asked in confusion. Serena felt awkward; not knowing how exactly to respond to the question.

"Well…uhhh…it just means you're growing up!" Serena replied as simplistically as she could think to say.

"Does everyone go through this?" Charmander asked. This conversation was getting too weird for Serena. She didn't feel like she was the one to be explaining this. But she decided to try her best.

"Well, not exactly. I don't even fully know if that's what's really happening to you guys. I mean, you're so…different from everyone else around here." said Serena. The air grew silent for a moment as Serena's words sank in. A gentle wind blew past the group in the midst of their silence. None of the boys enjoyed being reminded that they were different. It sort of hurt. To be looked down upon for not being like everyone else. It wasn't their fault after all. The trio had no idea where they were really from or how they ended up here.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just-" Serena added; wishing she could take back her words.

"It's okay, Serena. We know." Bulbasaur interrupted.

"But it's not all bad, right? I mean, you've got a great home, Mrs. Ketchum and me, and Pallet Town _does_ like you." said Serena in reassurance. Charmander stopped listening to the conversation at this point and walked across the yard over to a wooden swing under a tree and sat down. Bulbasaur and Squirtle may have felt accepted by Pallet Town, but he didn't.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know where we would be without you guys." Squirtle said with a smile.

"Maybe someday we'll find out where we came from." Bulbasaur suggested.

"Yeah but for today, what do you say we go into town and find something fun to do?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Squirtle shouted.

"Hold on, I'd better make sure Mrs. Ketchum is okay with it." Bulbasaur said as he scurried back up to the house.

"Alright but make it quick!" Squirtle replied.

"Can we go into town with Serena?" Bulbasaur asked Delia.

"Of course you can. Just stick together and be careful out there." She instructed.

"Ha! Don't worry! We will!" Bulbasaur shouted back as he raced out the door in excitement. He caught up with Squirtle and Serena at the edge of the hill, and stopped when he noticed they were one brother short.

"Hey Charmander, you comin?" Squirtle shouted. Charmander was still sitting alone on the swing. He turned his head and looked at the group.

"Yeah." He replied as he ran down the hill to meet up with his companions.

"Something wrong, Char?" Bulbasaur asked. Charmander paused for a moment before answering, deciding not to stir anything up this time.

"No, I'm fine." He replied; forcing a smile without too much effort.

As the group headed into Pallet Town, they passed through the market square, which lined both sides of the street with rows of tents and stands selling all sorts of foods, crafts, and pottery. The children stopped when they noticed a menacing group of teenage boys dressed in dark purple suits harassing a young man a few feet in front of them.

"Why don't you quit making scene and just hand it over?" Asked the shorter, chubby boy with mop-shaped brown hair.

"Yeah, quit stalling and give us the sketchbook!" The thin, tall, blue-haired boy added.

"What? Why would you want my sketchbook?" asked the young man. The man was wearing a light green shirt, red shorts, and dark blue sneakers. His long, black hair extended to the tips of his ears and the man's forehead was covered with a light-orange headband.

"Don't you worry your little head about _why _we want it." said the boy standing in the middle with spiked, violet hair. "Just give it up before someone gets hurt."

"No way! This book means too much to me to just give it away!" shouted the victim.

"Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river." said the middle boy. "Kail, grab the sketchbook. Kai, punish this _delinquent _for me, will ya?" he instructed. As the scene began to unfold, the denizens of Pallet stood by and watched in horror; too afraid of this group to intervene. Someone had to stand up to this injustice.

"Leave him alone!" screamed a voice in the distance. The trio of purple suits turned their heads in the direction of the voice's origin and watched as Charmander approached them with a determined look on his face.

"Awwww, are you talking to us, widdle guy?" the middle boy.

"You bet I am!" Charmander roared. "What's your problem; picking on people like that?" He asked.

"The only problem here, shorty, is that these streets are too dangerous for kids like you." said the middle boy as he, Kail, and Kai surrounded Charmander and tried to intimidate him. But Charmander stood his ground.

"Charmander, stop!" Serena shouted from a few feet away as she, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle ran up to help Charmander.

"I can handle this, Serena!" Charmander shrugged her off. Kail and Kai burst out laughing at this declaration.

"Bahahaha. Isn't that cute? The widdle lizard baby is gonna 'handle' us." Mocked the leader. Charmander was angered by the taunt.

"_What_ did you call me?" Charmander shouted back.

_This is getting bad_. Bulbasaur thought to himself. _We have to stop Charmander before he gets pulverized_. He scanned his surroundings and spotted a small bag resting on a stand. He asked the stand holder politely if he could borrow the bag and the woman agreed. Bulbasaur opened the bag with his paws; expecting to find something he could throw to distract the troublemaking-teenagers. But instead, the bag contained a powder. A breeze passed through and carried some of the powder from the bag and in front of Charmander.

"So what's it gonna be, short stuff? You gonna go quietly?" asked the group leader. The dust brushed past Charmander's nose and irritated him. He suddenly felt the urge to sneeze.

"Uhhh….uhhhhh…AHHHHHH-CHOO!" Charmander sneezed. At this moment, he spat out a series of orange fire bullets that pelted the leader boy's suit and sparked a fire. The trio panicked.

"AHHH! AHHH! SOMEBODY! PUT THIS OUT! GAAAAAAHHH!" The leader roared. He ripped off his jacket and stomped the tiny fire out. His anger rose when he listened to the watching crowd chuckling at his humiliating dance.

"ARRRRRRGH! How dare you!" the boy yelled. "I'll teach _you_ to make a fool outta me!" In the blink of an eye, the teenager grabbed a nearby crowbar and lifted it above his head, preparing to strike down at full force.

_No! I have to protect Charmander! _Bulbasaur thought as panic overwhelmed him and possessed his body. Without hesitation, the bulb creature leaped forward and charged into the boy's stomach, knocking out some of the force behind the swinging arm. Unfortunately, the attack was not fast enough to stop the tremendous speed of the swing. The crowbar struck Charmander directly in the face, causing the tiny orange lizard to fall backward and hit the ground with a thud. He covered his right eye with both hands in a futile attempt to nurse the pain. Try as he might to fight back tears, Charmander could feel his breath grow short as groans of pain escaped from his throat. The stinging pain was just too much.

Shrieks of shock and sympathy swirled around the crowd of the plaza. The boy holding the crowbar rose the weapon again. This time preparing to strike Bulbasaur as the bulb creature watched in paralyzed fear. Squirtle stepped forward from the sidelines and stood beside Bulbasaur.

"Hey! Leave my brothers alone!" Squirtle shouted as he took in a heavy breath. Upon exhaling, Squirtle shot out a burst of gentle bubbles from his mouth that had no effect against the attackers. The leader and his two assistants laughed at Squirtle's mediocre attack.

"Hahahaha! Look out guys! The little baby turtle's gonna blow bubbles at us!" Squirtle was utterly embarrassed at the mocking roars of laughter from the trio. He stepped back slowly and dropped to his hands and knees. _No_…_no_! _It's not fair_!_ I just thought I could help them_…. He thought to himself as his confidence dropped. Feeling utterly defeated, Squirtle retreated his head and limbs into his shell and hid from the overwhelming torment all around him.

After a few seconds of fading in and out of consciousness, Charmander felt a surge of power course through his veins. He quickly gathered memory of his surroundings as well as the situation and rose to his feet. He removed his hands from his eye and returned them to his sides. It caused him great pain to try and open the afflicted eye, so Charmander kept it shut and focused all of his vision into his other eye. Charmander's body began to emit steam and the flame on his tail grew twice its normal size as the lizard's anger rose. When he noticed Squirtle hiding in his shell and Bulbasaur surrounded by the teenagers, he could feel his consciousness slipping into blind, uncontrollable rage.

A sensation of intense heat swirled within Charmander's stomach and quickly rose up his throat and into his mouth with nowhere else to go. When the lead boy, Kail, and Kai finally noticed Charmander, it was too late. The tiny lizard released a giant, swirling, beam of fire directly into three terrified faces. The attack was so intense that it left Charmander breathless as he dropped to his knees. The air fell to an eerie pin-drop silence as not a single sound was made. Nobody in the crowd said a word out of both fear and amazement.

"You….y-you're _freaks_! That's it! That's what you are! _Freaks_! The lot of ya!" the leader stammered hysterically. He turned to his henchmen. "Kail! Kai! I think it's time we split this joint!" He ordered.

"R-right!" the soot-covered teens yelped in unison.

"Not so fast!" an unfamiliar voice barged in. All faces turned in the direction of the voice's origin and noticed a police officer making his way onto the scene. "Kim, you and your gang are under arrest." The officer announced. Kim, Kail, and Kai were too horrified by Charmander's flamethrower attack to even attempt a quick getaway and were quickly handcuffed and carted off to prison. Before leaving the scene with the criminals in tow, the officer turned to Serena, who was standing behind him.

"I appreciate you bringing this fight to my attention, young lady. I've been pursuing these deviants for a few days now." He explained.

"My pleasure officer." Serena replied.

"Now, I must be going." He turned to Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. "Under normal circumstances, I would be taking you three into the station for taking part in this fight as well. However, since you're just children and your efforts did help me catch criminals, I'll let you off the hook just this once. In return, I suggest you boys head on home before your parents catch you out here. Afternoon." The officer said as he exited the scene. He raised his voice to the crowd and began to clear a path for himself. "Alright, nothing to see hear! Fight's over! Break it up, all of you!"

Serena kneeled down to help the brothers up to their feet. "Charmander! Your eye! Are you okay!?" Serena panicked when she caught her first glimpse of Charmander's throbbing purple eye.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I _knew _I had it in me to show those creeps a thing or two." Charmander replied confidently. Immediately, Serena slapped him across the face, though taking special measure as to avoid his inflicted eye.

"You are _such_ an idiot picking a fight with those guys! You're just kids and you could've been killed!" Serena reprimanded. "You're lucky I went and found the police when I did or who _knows_ what they might've done to you!"

"Excuse _me_, Serena! But you seem to be forgetting the part where I _saved_ the day by shooting out that awesome fire blast!"

"Uggh you are such a stubborn brat, Charmander!" Serena argued back.

"You _really_ are. Not to mention _stupid_." Bulbasaur inserted as he was still rubbing Squirtle's shell and trying to coax his brother out of hiding. "Have you forgotten that it was _you_ who stood up and picked that fight to begin with?"

"Well I…-" Charmander began.

"I made a promise to Mom that I'd keep you guys safe. Thanks to you, I probably got a concussion trying to save your sorry tail, Squirtle's been utterly humiliated, and Mom's going to _freak_ when she sees your eye!" Bulbasaur continued.

"_Why_ do you keep calling her that? You know Mrs. Ketchum isn't really our-"

"Now is _NOT _the time for this, Charmander! Now come on, we're going home." Bulbasaur concluded. Serena looked around to find the man who was originally being attacked by the gang, but he had vanished. She turned and followed behind the tiny lizard to reinforce Bulbasaur's command. None of them were looking forward to the evening that they all knew awaited them.

"Come on in boys, dinner is almost ready!" Delia chimed in when she heard the front door open. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle each sat down at the table without as much as a word. They couldn't think of anything to say. They were each lost in their own separate thoughts. Besides, they knew which direction the conversation would turn just as soon as Delia looked at them.

"You three are awfully quiet tonight. Is something wrong?" Delia asked as she continued to stir a pot of soup.

"Well, you see...something happened in town today." Bulbasaur began. Delia turned and dropped her stirring spoon on the floor as she ran over to the table when she noticed the trio. They were each coated in dust from the plaza ground. Of course it was nothing in comparison to Charmander's black eye. Delia was furious when she finally noticed it.

"_WHAT _HAPPENED? EXPLAIN YOURSELVES THIS INSTANT!" Delia shouted. Charmander then told Mrs. Ketchum all about their encounter with Kim and his cronies; especially describing himself getting smacked in the eye with a crowbar. Delia held Charmander's chin with her hands and tilted his head left and right as she examined his eye closely. Mrs. Ketchum sighed heavily in frustration; attempting to contain her anger.

"Can you still see out of it?" She asked Charmander.

"Not really…"

"I'll put some ice on it and we'll have to wait for the swelling to go down before we'll know for sure if you'll regain sight or not. You'll be lucky if you can ever see out of this eye again. I can't _believe_ you'd be so irresponsible, Charmander."

"B-but-"

"You've gotten into trouble before, but _this_ is an all-time low. What were you even thinking!?"

"I was just trying to-"

"You're lucky you weren't _killed_! Can you even _imagine_ what would have happened if-"

"MOM! Are you ever gonna let me get a _word_ in!? Gosh!"

"Don't _ever _raise your voice to me, young man! How can I ever teach you to behave properly when you're always acting out and being defiant and-"

"Whoever said I _wanted _you to teach me!?"

The room fell silent for a minute as Charmander's words took their course like a storm.

"Just because what you do works for Squirtle and Bulbasaur doesn't mean it works for me! You can't tell me what to do all the time! You're_** NOT **_my real mom!" Charmander shouted. He winced from the pain as tears leaked out of his eyes, including the swollen one. Without another word, Charmander leaped from his chair, ran out of the kitchen, and dashed upstairs to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Delia, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle sat still at the table; too shocked from Charmander's outburst to move. Bulbasaur and Squirtle felt helpless. They simply sat by and watched as Delia turned her head away; obviously she was trying to hide how hurt she was feeling at that moment, even though they could still see the steady stream of tears flowing down her cheek.


	5. Of Rain and Shadows

Bulbasaur was the last one to wake up the following morning. He hadn't slept very well; constantly being awoken in the middle of the night by nightmares about his family. _You're __**NOT **__my real mom_. Charmander's hurtful words still echoed in his mind. He couldn't believe Charmander would ever say something so awful to their mother. But he did. He was capable of it. Bulbasaur's head was throbbing; partially from ramming Kim's leg at full power the day before, but mostly from how worried he felt for his family. Outside the overcast sky wept through the chill of the air. But inside, the Ketchum residence was eerily quiet and coated in shadows as lights remained off. Bulbasaur wandered around the empty house and found Squirtle sitting by the fire place, warming his tiny blue hands with his gaze lost in concentration towards the modest fire.

"G-Good morning, Squirtle..." Bulbasaur said hesitantly. He gave up trying to make pleasant conversation when Squirtle said nothing back to him. The bulb creature didn't know if Squirtle heard him or not when the blue turtle failed to turn around and acknowledge his presence in the room, so he left him alone.

Bulbasaur entered the kitchen and stopped in the doorway when Charmander passed him by; holding a glass of water. The gentle orange glow of his tiny tail flame contrasted the shadows of the house all around. Charmander didn't turn to greet his brother as he wandered over towards the staircase.

"You sleep well?" asked Bulbasaur. Charmander stopped on the first step and gripped the railing tightly with one hand. He turned around and glared at Bulbasaur with his only eye. His damaged eye was covered with a white bandage and held in place by a band of silk that wrapped diagonally around his head like an eye patch.

"I don't think any of us did." Charmander whispered coldly. Without waiting for a reply, Charmander turned away and continued ascending up the staircase. Once again Bulbasaur felt shunned. Not that he had assumed Charmander would be in any mood to talk after his outburst last night. Bulbasaur tried not to take Charmander's tone personally, but he still felt guilty of his own crimes, even if he wasn't the one being punished. Charmander was typically a grouch after being scolded, but this time must've been serious if sleep didn't help him any.

Bulbasaur turned around and looked back into the kitchen to see a single plate with food resting on the table. It must've been his breakfast since nobody else was around. He was surprised that Mom wasn't around like she normally was. The food was cold from sitting out for a while, so Bulbasaur didn't eat. He didn't have much of an appetite anyway. Exiting the kitchen and ascending back up the staircase, Bulbasaur entered Mom's bedroom in search of his mother. She was curled up tightly in the covers, laying on her side and facing the window. Bulbasaur was hesitant to approach her; believing she was still asleep. He stopped when he heard a shell of her usual warm, inviting voice.

"Is that you, Bulbasaur?" Delia asked in a raspy voice.

"Y-yeah, Mom. Are you…alright?" Bulbasaur replied. There was a pause.

"I made you some breakfast. It's on the table in the kitchen."

"Thanks…but I'm…not really hungry." Bulbasaur confessed. Delia said nothing in return. Bulbasaur didn't have the heart to continue this conversation either. He could easily tell his mother was broken up about Charmander's comment towards her. He exited the room when he felt that his mother just wanted to be left alone this morning.

Downstairs, Squirtle sat by the fireplace and tucked his legs and tail close to his body in a fetal position. The room was engulfed in darkness save for the humble glow of the fire emitted in the immediate vicinity of the living room. Squirtle's body grew numb from the blanketing warmth around him, as his eyes fell fixated upon the deep, mesmerizing, golden abyss of the flames. All Squirtle could feel was shame and guilt for his pitiful attempt to stand up for his brothers the day before. Squirtle wished he could be as brave and powerful as Charmander; or as wise and loyal as Bulbasaur. But what was he instead? Just a childish coward. When danger called, all he could do was shoot bubbles and hide in his shell. It was disgraceful. Squirtle was embarrassed for trying to stand up and be a hero for once, only to make a fool of himself in front of the entire town. Squirtle felt so weak and useless. But what could he do? What could he ever be capable of? _Why was he born at all_?

Returning to the upstairs bedroom, Charmander took a hardy gulp from his water glass and set it on the night stand before climbing into bed. His eye was still sore, and the eye patch served as a constantly irritating reminder that he only had one eye at the moment. But as much as his injury caused him pain, it wasn't what hurt Charmander the most. Ever since he woke up that morning, Charmander couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said to Mrs. Ketchum the previous night. _You're __**NOT **__my real mom_. Sure he felt that that may have still been true, but did he really need to say it like _that_? As Charmander tossed and turned under the covers uncomfortably, trying to fall asleep, he began to reevaluate his feelings. Charmander was just feeling angry. Everyone always seemed to just be against him. Even when he tried to do something good for once, everyone simply yelled at him. Serena, Bulbasaur, and Mrs. Ketchum. He thought he could do something good for once; something that would make people be proud of him. But nobody would ever listen or care about what he had to say or what he felt. But, maybe he had brought this upon himself. He always was yelling all the time. He was always picking fights and getting angry so easily. Charmander couldn't help it. He just felt those emotions stronger than other people. It couldn't mean he doesn't have a heart, could it? The truth was that Charmander felt…other things too. He couldn't explain it to himself, but he didn't just act without a purpose. He just…couldn't always tell people the truth. Something in his heart just wouldn't let him. Charmander began to think it might be easier if he could start telling people the truth about what he was feeling. But he didn't know what was stopping him. Perhaps, more than anything, Charmander just wanted someone who would truly listen to him. _Just one person_.

Delia had no energy to get out of bed when morning came. She had failed Charmander as a mother. All she wanted was to be someone who could love these children when they had no one else in the world. Especially because she had no family herself anymore. With _him _gone…Delia felt truly alone. She needed Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle as much as she wanted to believe they needed her. But now she didn't know if that latter was true anymore. Charmander didn't love her, so he rejected her. Delia wanted to show him how much she cared about him, but didn't feel as though she could. Charmander was unhappy, and his brothers would surely suffer as well. Delia felt hopeless. She wanted the world for her adopted sons, but she couldn't give them whatever it was that they needed now more than ever. Deep in her heart Delia knew it wasn't good for her to be moping like this. It wasn't the real her. Eventually she would snap out of this depressive state, but for now, she needed to allow herself to experience this pain. She felt the need to endure it. So there she decided to stay for the rest of the day.

Bulbasaur slowly passed by the bedroom he shared with Squirtle and Charmander. He looked in the doorway and saw Charmander curled up in bed, asleep. He must've taken some medicine for his injury and was resting it off. Bulbasaur entered the room quietly and climbed onto the cushion placed on the windowsill across the room. He settled down on a pillow and watched the rain fall endlessly from the vast array of storm clouds encompassing the once-joyous meadows of green on this dark and dreary day.

Bulbasaur had all but drifted off to sleep when he noticed someone walking up the hill towards the house. The window was now blurred with rain, making it impossible for Bulbasaur to identify the visitor. He was slowly dozing off again, when he jolted awake at the sound of a knock on the door. Bulbasaur assumed Squirtle was still downstairs and would answer the door. He realized he was wrong however when another knock echoed through the house a few seconds later. Bulbasaur looked up and still saw Charmander fast asleep in the bed. He climbed down from the windowsill and took it upon himself to answer the door when he noticed that the fire was out and Squirtle had left the room. Bulbasaur stood up on his hind legs and opened the door. To his surprise, the action took more effort out of him than he'd anticipated. He collapsed on the ground almost immediately after. Looking up, he saw Serena at the door, holding an umbrella.

"Serena? What're you doing here?" Bulbasaur asked softly.

"Oh, hi Bulbasaur. I just wanted to see how you guys were doing. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Are you hurt or something?"

"No, just…really tired."

"Oh… I see. Hey, do you mind if I come in?"

"Sure, of course." Serena entered the room and shut the door behind them.

"Wow, it's really dark in here. Why are all the lights off?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. It's just been…a really quiet day here today." Bulbasaur replied. Serena was growing concerned. To her, Bulbasaur was acting strange.

"Where is everyone?"

"Charmander's resting upstairs. I don't really know where Squirtle is. He was in here for a while, but he's gone now. As for my mom, I think she's asleep in her room. She didn't really feel like getting out of bed today."

"…Why? Did something happen?" Serena asked as worry began to rise in her chest. Bulbasaur hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Serena about the fight between Charmander and their mother from the night before. Serena was speechless. She decided to succumb to anger and clenched her fists.

"Charmander has _no_ right to say something so awful like that! I should strangle him for being such a rude little-" Serena plotted.

"Serena, that won't help. I'm sure Charmander will realize soon enough what he did, but for now he needs to rest." Bulbasaur explained. Serena exhaled deeply.

"I just hope Mrs. Ketchum is doing alright." Said Serena.

"Yeah…me too." Bulbasaur confessed.

"Maybe I should just come back tomorrow. You guys seem like you want to be left alone today." Serena proposed

"Huh? No, wait! Serena, please don't go! Please…" Bulbasaur begged. "Why don't you stick around a while until the storm passes at least?"

"Well…okay…I guess." Serena was taken aback slightly by Bulbasaur's out-of-character desperation.

"Everyone's just been so down today. So am I for that matter. I just…feel so tired and alone.

"You think maybe the lack of sunlight in here is doing a number on you, what with your little bulb and all?" Serena asked. Bulbasaur looked up at the bulb on his back and noticed It wilting slightly.

"Huh…you know, I guess I hadn't….really thought of…that…" Bulbasaur answered. Having exerted all of his remaining energy, Bulbasaur collapsed and drifted off to sleep. Serena began to gently rub Bulbasaur's head; unsure what to do next. A few minutes later, Serena noticed a silhouette approaching her from the shadows of another room. Turning on a light revealed that Squirtle walking over to her.

"There you are Squirtle! Where have you been?" Serena asked.

"Just…thinking I guess." Squirtle replied.

"Oh, well what were you thinking about?" Squirtle didn't answer so Serena repeated herself.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now." Squirtle said softly.

"Well, alright then. If you ever do feel like talking, I'm here to listen. You know that, right?"

"Yeah…I know." Squirtle climbed up on the sofa with Serena and laid his head up against her side. She put her arm around the back of the tiny turtle's neck to comfort him while simultaneously petting Bulbasaur, who was still fast asleep. Serena stayed on the sofa between her two friends for hours as she watched the rain continuing to pour outside. She didn't enjoy seeing her this family so miserable. The dreary weather and darkness of the house deprived Bulbasaur of sunlight, leaving him terribly fatigued. Squirtle didn't seem willing to leave Serena's side either. Not willing to say a word, Squirtle simply sat with Serena quietly. Her immediate company wasn't the only thing on Serena's mind however. She was worried for Charmander's recovery as well as the fact that she hadn't seen or heard from Mrs. Ketchum at all since arriving at the house. While she didn't feel as though she were intruding, Serena was set aback slightly by the absence of Mrs. Ketchum's usual warm invitation into her abode. Through all the uncertainty and worry running rampant in Serena's mind, it was plain for her to see that this family was going through changes. But how much harder would it get before it all got easier?


	6. The Sketchbook

Kim slipped through the busted window of his jail cell and crossed over into the shadows of the nearby alley to meet up with Kail and Kai.

"Told ya this place couldn't hold us for long!" said Kail.

"Yeah, not when we have work to do, right boss!?" said Kai.

"Will you two stop running your mouths and get a move on!? We only got out of here so quick because the employers gave us this laser knife to cut the bars. They're not going to be happy when we tell them we didn't get the book from that loser in the market today! We _have _to turn things around if we want this town to truly respect us!"

"Right!" Kail and Kai responded in unison.

"More _importantly_ though, we're going to show those ankle-biters what happens when you mess with the Invincible Brothers!"

"Sure are!" The three sprinted through the shadows of the buildings to make their necessary preparations.

Delia, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur were all seated at the kitchen table preparing to eat breakfast when Delia heard footsteps descending the staircase. She turned and saw Charmander making his way towards the front door.

"Charmander, come eat your breakfast!" Delia called out.

"I'm not hungry." Charmander replied.

"Yes you are! You've been in bed all week and now you need to build up your strength!"

"My strength's fine."

"Come on, Char. Just make things easy for once!" Bulbasaur added.

"Who asked you!?" Charmander barked back.

"_Charmander_! As long as you are under _my_ roof, you will follow _my _rules! I said eat so get over here and sit at the table this instant!" Delia ordered. Charmander sighed and decided to give in. He dragged his feet into the kitchen and sat down in his usual chair; refusing to make eye-contact with anyone.

"How's your eye doing?" Squirtle asked; observing that Charmander was still wearing the patch over his injured eye. Charmander said nothing; staring intently as his food as he continued eating.

"Do you need me to replace the bandage?" Delia inquired. Charmander didn't answer her either as he continued to focus on his meal. "Charmander, I asked you a question. I would appreciate it if you would just-"

"My eye's fine!" Charmander interrupted.

"Watch your tone!" Delia commanded. Charmander slammed his fork down onto his plate with a clank and excused himself from the table forcefully. "Where are you going?" Delia called out after him. Charmander continued walking and exited the house. "Charmander!" Delia knew he wouldn't stop but shouted for him anyway. Mrs. Ketchum was running out of options. She tried to be gentle, but couldn't get through to him. Now, trying to be more assertive only pushed Charmander further away. What else could she try?

Charmander was fed up with this constant routine. Mrs. Ketchum never seemed willing to give him a chance. He was always acting out; always misbehaving; always playing the bad guy. Enough was enough. Charmander walked out the door, vowing not to walk back through it. He wanted to go somewhere; anywhere. Charmander just had to get away. Charmander walked straight through Pallet Town and into the outskirts. This was a new path for him; a different direction than he had traveled before with his brothers. It had to lead somewhere. Charmander followed the dirt path until something caught his attention. Off to the side under a tree, the tiny lizard spotted a young man sitting against the trunk with his gaze fixated on a sketch book in his lap. He looked up and noticed Charmander staring at him.

"Oh, hello there!" the man called out cheerfully.

"Uhhh…hi." Charmander called back as he walked towards the man.

"Nice day we're having, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it…really is." Charmander looked up at the clear blue sky. He hadn't even noticed the splendid sea of clouds blanketed with sunshine. "You know, you look kind of familiar. Have we met before?"

"Well, actually we have! My name's Tracie. You stood up for me in the plaza the other day against those thugs." Charmander instantly remembered that day and felt a slight pulse of pride over his courage. Unfortunately, most of his memory associated with that day was now filled with frustration over the disapproval of his friends and family. It wasn't fair. It was a moment for him to be proud of, yet he couldn't enjoy it. "Oh yeah! I remember you now. Those guys didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

"Who me? No, I'm just fine really. But they probably _would_ have hurt me if you hadn't come along. So thank you so much for that…uhhh…" Tracie hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Charmander asked.

"Well, I actually didn't catch your name!" Tracie admitted with a chuckle.

"Oh, sorry about that! My name's Charmander. It's nice to meet you, Tracie!" The two shook hands and Charmander sat down next to Tracie to continue their conversation. Tracie's smile faded when he noticed Charmander's eyepatch.

"Hey, what's wrong now?" Charmander inquired.

"That's right. You got hit in the eye during that fight. How's it doing now?" Tracie's question triggered something within Charmander. He suddenly opened his injured eye, and saw nothing but white in it. It was different than before though. When he tried to use his eye before, he only saw black, not white.

"Hold on a second." Charmander motioned. He removed the bandage patch from his eye, and after a few seconds of adjusting to the light of day, the world came back into focus and color. His eye had completely healed! Charmander could see again after all!

"Hey, your eye's looking much better now! Can you see out of it?" Tracie asked. Charmander grinned.

"Haha yup! I sure can!"

"That's great to hear. I'm relieved now. I'd hate for you to have lost an eye just to protect me. Totally not worth it."

"Aww come on now. Don't talk like that. It wasn't right what those guys were doing. Someone _had_ to do something. Come to think of it, who were those guys anyway?" Charmander asked.

"They call themselves 'The Invincible Brothers.' They're just a bunch of thugs who run around Pallet Town and stir up trouble. They showed up out of nowhere one day and started bossing people around as if they ruled the place. I've been watching them ever since I got here myself but I can't figure out what their motive is. This is such a safe and quiet little town. Nobody wants any trouble. The people here just want to live out their lives in peace. I think maybe the Invincible Brothers do whatever they want because they know people around here are too afraid to fight back. That police officer does what he can to stop them, but because they work as a team, they commit more crimes than he can keep up with. You were the first person who actually stood up to the Invincible Brothers. This place could use bravery like that more often and I'd bet it would drive those menacing three out of here for good." Tracie explained.

"Well, there's nothing _invincible _about them if I could scare them off like that." Charmander proclaimed. "Besides, you're the only person who actually thinks what I did was a good thing."

"Really? Why is that?" Charmander went on to explain to Tracie about the scolding he received from Serena, Bulbasaur, and Mrs. Ketchum. He described how alone and misunderstood he really felt deep down and of his rejuvenated desires to leave Pallet Town behind." I see. So that's why you came out here." Said Tracie.

"Yup." Charmander confirmed.

"You know, I probably don't have much room to say this since it is _your_ choice, but my mother always told me it's not good to run away from your problems. Sometimes you just need to face them head on." Tracie offered.

"That wouldn't be so easy for me here." Charmander argued.

"Sometimes all it takes is a little push." Tracie elaborated. Charmander stopped and pondered the advice. He didn't know for certain if he would be ready to go back there and face Mrs. Ketchum again so soon or not. But he did want to stay with Tracie for a while. Unlike all others from Charmander's point-of-view, Tracie didn't look down or demean him. Tracie would listen instead of hold him down.

"So what are you sketching?" Charmander asked as he glanced at Tracie's sketch.

"This? I just decided to come out here and capture a view of Pallet Town." Charmander was astounded by the remarkable layer of detail and precision in Tracie's drawing. The flora and buildings scattered all around the wide space were translated and scaled down onto Tracie's paper with near perfection. As if Charmander was looking into the window of a small, black-and-white Pallet Town.

"This is _really _good!" Charmander complimented.

"You think so?" Tracie asked.

"Uh-huh! Where did you learn to draw like this?"

"Well, I've been doing it my whole life, actually."

"Really?" Charmander asked curiously.

"Yeah! Life is full of so much beauty, mystery, and wonder. There are so many amazing things we see every day that go on unappreciated by people. Splendor comes for a moment, then leaves; never to be seen in quite the same way again. I get the most out of life by trying to capture those special moments on paper. It lets me keep a physical record of it so I can remember it always. I like to live my life from one memory to another. I never have to feel pain or sorrow when life gets me down because all I need to do is look back at a picture of something that made me feel content, and those feelings find their way back to me." Tracie explained.

"Wow….that's really deep…" Charmander responded. He was amazed by Tracie's vivid perception of life. It was poetic and inspiring. The tiny lizard felt a powerful urge to find that same passion for himself. "I guess I never really thought about stuff like that." He felt a sudden sense of disappointment in himself.

"Oh, don't let it get you down, Charmander. You're still so young. This is just what I love doing. I'm just living my dream. But that doesn't mean it would work for you. Just take your time, enjoy life, and I'm sure you'll find something that inspires you."

"You really think so, Tracie?"

"I sure do." Tracie assured. Charmander smiled. He felt warmth within himself. His feelings of anger and disappointment were melting. He was glad he had met Tracie.

In the far-off outskirts of Pallet Town, the Invincible Brothers gathered under the shade of a tree to meet up with their employers. From the other side of the trunk, two figures emerged, dress in trench coats, fedoras, and sunglasses to fully conceal their identities.

"Hi, uh…boss." Kim spoke nervously.

"Do you have the book?" asked the female voice.

"Well…no." Kim confessed.

"Why not?"

"Well, we almost had it!" Kail began.

"B-but we ran into some trouble and things sort of took a turn for the worst." Kai added.

"We don't _care _about your excuses. We demand _results_." Said the mystery woman.

"But what's so important about a lame old sketchbook from some nobody?" Kim asked.

"_Idiot_! That sketchbook is the only lead we have left in our operation! Without it, there's no chance of tracking down the target in this miserable village!" the woman explained.

"W-wh-why is that!?" Kai asked; his voice quivering in fear.

"That boy has traveled nearly across the globe. He's illustrated things in that notebook of his that likely _no one _has ever seen before. If there's a chance that he has seen the target, or the _subjects_, or even some _clue_ as to their whereabouts, that notebook will contain the _clue_ we need to complete our objective!" she continued.

"But it's n-not our fault that we lost it!" Kim objected hesitantly.

"Y-yeah! These three mutant brats showed up out of nowhere and attacked us!" Kail backed him up.

"_Mutant _brats?" the woman asked. "You mean they weren't human?"

"N-no. No way. One of em shot fire, and another spit up bubbles!" Kim answered.

"I see. So they _are _here after all. Which means Brandon can't be far behind either. Hmmmm…" the woman pondered. The disguised man standing next to the woman turned to her; his expression completely masked by the coat and glasses.

"What are you thinking?" the disguised man asked.

"Forget the sketchbook. If what you say is true, all you need to do is lure those kids out of hiding." The woman instructed.

"Huh? What makes the kids so special?" Kim asked.

"The details are classified to outsiders like you so don't worry about the details. Determine where they're hiding and bring them to us. If all goes well, then by the time we return to base, the boss will have all the necessary pawns in place to begin the final stages of the operation."

"'Operation?' Just who _are _you guys?" Kai asked.

"Are you _still _here?" the woman called out. With a quick sigh of irritation, she handed the Invincible Brothers a steel briefcase. "Take this and get to work. Don't report back here until you have the children safely in-tow. And above all else, do this _without _attracting attention to yourselves. If this town catches word of our operation because of you three, rest assured that your _end_ will be swift, yet painful." the woman commanded.

"Y-yes ma'am!" the brothers cried out in terrified unison. They opened the briefcase and with one look at the contents, menacing satisfaction overtook their expressions. When they looked back up at the tree, the mysterious man and woman had disappeared. The Invincible Brothers left the rendezvous spot and re-entered Pallet Town through an area free of civilians.

"This is gonna be _sweet_!" Kail cheered.

"But, how are we supposed to find the brats? We don't have any idea where they live!" Kai reminded his brothers.

"We don't know, but someone _else_ might." Kim answered confidently as his treacherous eyes and finger aimed at Serena, who was sitting alone on a bench; unsuspectingly lost in her book.


	7. Cloak of Justice

Delia was hanging clothes up to dry in the backyard, but froze in her place when she heard a sudden *CLICK* and felt the icy, circular, metallic tip of a crimson pistol touching the back of her head. She didn't dare turn her head an inch out of fear of provoking the weapon's host from pulling the trigger. A brief moment of horrific silence passed before the unknown meister of her fear finally spoke.

"If you want to live, you'll do exactly as I tell you. Any sudden movements, and I'll _vaporize _that pretty little head of your's." spoke a young man's voice from behind her. The voice belonged to Kim of The Invincible Brothers. Delia was too scared to utter words. She slowly raised her hands above her head in surrender. Despite fearing for her own life, Delia was far more concerned for her children's safety. She had left them unattended in the house. If _anything _were to happen to them….Delia greatly disliked even fathoming such a thought. "Whaddya say we round up that quaint little family of your's in the house?" Kim proposed menacingly. Delia nodded ever so carefully and slowly walked up to the backdoor of the house with the boy following a few steps behind her; still holding Delia at gunpoint.

Delia passed through the doorway when, from the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow fall from the second floor window and land behind her. She turned around just in time to see a cloaked figure tackle the unsuspecting teenager to the ground with a thud. Within seconds, the mystery figure disarmed Kim of his gun, restrained his arms and legs, and covered the boy's mouth with a cloth to prevent him from making any noise. Kim squirmed on the grass in vain; staring angrily at the figure. The figure picked up Kim's pistol and turned around to face Delia, who stood trembling in the doorway. The figure kept its hood up; preventing her from seeing a face; obscured with shadow.

"Are you alright?" the cloaked figure asked in a deep male voice.

"Y-yes…" Delia stuttered. "Who are you?"

"No time." the man stopped her. "The boy has accomplices in the house. I'll save your family. Just stay here until I give you the 'all-clear.'" He instructed. Delia nodded. The mysterious man crouched to his knees. Quietly and carefully, he entered the house.

Upstairs, Bulbasaur and Squirtle were sprawled out on the bedroom floor in a game of chess. Bulbasaur looked up at the doorway, but was too slow to react when he saw Kail launch a rope from a small device on his wrist. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were bound tightly together by the rope. Squirtle wriggled and pulled as he tried in vain to break free. Bulbasaur eyes widened in shock when he recognized the teenage attacker.

"Kail!?" He called out in disbelief.

"That's right losers! We got you _right _where we want you!" Kail boasted proudly.

"Mom! Help! Please!" Squirtle cried out as loud as he could.

"Your mommy can't help you! Kim's already taking care of her!" Kail bragged. Bulbasaur and Squirtle gasped in horrified unison.

"How did you find us?" Bulbasaur asked. Kail turned his head to face an unknown sight outside the room and down the hall; obscured to the children by the wall. He jerked his head to the side to signal entrance into the room. Kai stepped in, holding a sapphire pistol in one hand, and a familiar person's arm in the other.

"Serena!?" Squirtle burst out in disbelief. Kai threw the young girl to the wooden floor with a crash. She couldn't sit up with her arms and legs restrained by rope. Serena shook the rag away from her mouth and looked at Squirtle with her emerald eyes as they glistened with tears of fear and shameful regret.

"Squirtle! Bulbasaur!" she began. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I had to tell them where you lived! They were going to _kill_ me and I was just so scared that I-" Serena confessed as she began to sob uncontrollably.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Squirtle replied consolingly. Despite the gentle sincerity in Squirtle's voice, Serena continued to weep. She panicked for the uncertainty of their fates, and didn't feel worthy of the immediate forgiveness she was offered by the victims whose danger she brought upon them. Although he didn't say anything more, Squirtle felt the same immense fear as Serena. He couldn't believe how quickly such a quiet afternoon exploded with the immense fear and danger of the situation. The tiny turtle wished he could withdraw into his shell and hide, just as he did during his previous encounter with the teenagers. At least then, they wouldn't see him cry.

"Let Serena go! Why are you guys doing this!?" Bulbasaur shouted.

"Keep your voice down, plant-boy. There's no need to shout." said Kai smugly. "Just consider this payback for the way you guys _humiliated_ us in town the other day. Besides, we needed your gal pal over here to track you down for us."

"So what do you plan to do with us now?" Bulbasaur asked. Kail and Kai paused and exchanged a hesitant glance. Even they didn't know what would come next.

"Well…" Kail began.

"Let's just say that we have some 'friends' who are _dying _to meet you." Kai recovered.

Bulbasaur and Squirtle gulped; uncertain of this vague statement's real implication. Serena said nothing in response to this development. She merely lied there on the cold floor and wallowed in her own despair. She betrayed her friends and now an uncertain fate awaited them just because she feared too much for her own life. _This is all my fault_. _How could I think only of myself_? _I just wish there was something I could do to fix all of this. I_ _don't want to be so useless_. She thought to herself. The three captives shut their eyes in defeat and waited for whatever doom awaited them.

Outside in the hallway, the cloaked man crept up the stairs and carefully proceeded towards the bedroom. He poked his head inside the doorway to assess the situation. He looked at Bulbasaur and Squirtle tied together and sitting on the floor across the room. Turning, he noticed Serena lying helplessly still on the floor near them. Finally, he saw Kail and Kai gloating to each other about their successful capture. He paid special attention to Kai carelessly handing Kail his blue pistol. _Perfect_. He thought. That was just the opening he needed.

"Hey, wait a second!" started Kail. "There's supposed to be three of you brats! Where's the _fire_ punk!?" he began.

The man snuck into the room undetected and quickly wrapped one arm around Kai's neck before the brother could reply to Kail's question. Kail turned to his distressed brother and pointed the pistol at the attacker behind Kai. In retaliation, the mystery man pointed his red pistol at Kai's head; threatening to shoot his hostage. A pin-drop silence proceeded as Kail, Kai, and the hooded man waited for one other to make a sudden move. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Serena watched the scene unfold helplessly from the floor.

"Drop your weapon!" the hooded man roared. As if on obedient command, Kail released his gun and let it fall to his feet. In the blink of an eye, the man slammed Kai's head against the door and let the boy's body collapse to the floor to nurse the head trauma; immediately he sprinted over to Kail and grabbed his shoulder with one hand. With the other, the man reached over and tugged at the rope that bound Bulbasaur and Squirtle together and snatched it right off of them with one pull. Giving Kail no time to react, he restrained the boy's arms to his sides with the newly acquired rope and kicked the teenager in the shin so he would fall to the floor in reaction. Kai recovered from his injury and reached for the pistol on the ground. But before he could shoot, the mystery man smacked the weapon out of the boy's hand and he kicked him directly in his massive gut. His foot followed through, pushed Kai backwards to the ground, and kept him flat on his backside under the weight of the cloaked man's leg pressing down on him. The man repeated his previous strategy and removed Serena's imprisoning rope with one arm and used it to tie up the overweight teen.

"Hey! Who the _heck _are you!?" Kail barked out in rage and disbelief over his swift defeat. The hooded man walked across the room and opened the window. He returned to Kail, picked him up by the collar of his purple jumpsuit with one, onyx-black-gloved hand, and carried him over to the window.

"I'm the reason you'll _never _harm these children again." The hooded man bluntly stated with a voice that instilled immediate horror.

"Huh!? What're you-" Kail started. But before he could finish, the hooded man swung his arm and threw the boy head-first through the open window. The remaining occupants of the room sat in awe as they listened to Kail's fading scream and eventual crash upon reaching the ground. The man turned to Kai, who was sweating profusely and quivering in panic.

"It's your choice, son. You can either leave the same way he did, or take stairs." Immediately on cue, Kai rose to his feet and ran down the stairs and out the front door of the house screaming. Thoroughly humiliated with their arms still tied up, Kail and Kai ran from the property as quickly as they could; babbling illiterately in terror over their shameful defeat.

Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Serena all stood to their feet and turned to their arcane rescuer; unsure what to do next.

"Wow…ummm…thanks, Mister." Bulbasaur said. The man left the room without saying a word.

"Hey wait! Bulbasaur called out. He chased after the man with Squirtle and Serena right behind him. The trio followed the cloaked-crusader out to the backyard where Delia stood with Kim still fully-restrained on the grass. Delia's face lit up with relief and joy when she saw Squirtle and Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur! Squirtle! Oh thank goodness my boys are alive! Are you alright!? Are you hurt!? What happened!?"

"We're okay, Mom. Really. This guy came in and rescued us. He's a hero!" Squirtle said as he pointed to the mysterious man, who was now crouched over. He picked up Kim by the collar of his jumpsuit, just as he did with Kail and removed the cloth from his mouth to allow him to speak. The man threw the cloth to the ground and with that same hand, pulled out the red pistol he acquired from his holster and pointed it at Kim.

"Leave this place now and _never_ attack this family again. Heed my words or such a foolish mistake will be the _last_ thing you ever do." The man commanded in his deep, fierce roar that continued to startle everyone who heard it. Kim nodded in fear and ran from the house as fast as he could, just as his brothers before him.

The remaining five stood in the yard as a whispering breeze cut through the silence.

"I don't know where else to begin except…well, thank you for saving my life; and more importantly, the lives of my children." Delia spoke graciously with a bow.

"I appreciate your gratitude, but it is unnecessary." the man answered. Delia frowned. "There was no way for you to have known that this attack was going to happen." The man continued somewhat coldly.

"Yes, well….I think after this huge mess, we could use a nice quiet dinner. Would you perhaps like to join us?" Delia offered.

"I would be honored." The man replied. Without another word, Delia, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Serena, and the mystery man reentered the house.


	8. Dinner with Destiny

As the afternoon wore on into evening, the occupants of the Ketchum residence and their guests began setting plates on the table while Mrs. Ketchum prepared the meal. Everyone had just sat down when Charmander entered the house with Tracie following behind him. Charmander's and Delia's eyes met, but they said nothing as Charmander proceeded into the room and took his place at the table. Serena pulled up an extra chair for Tracie as the two exchanged friendly greetings. A malevolent cloud of anxiety loomed at the table as the meal began. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Serena tried their best not to make eye contact with anyone. They did not speak unless addressed either. Although they appeared to be intently focused on the meal, their minds were still replaying the traumatic events of the afternoon and no amount of light-hearted conversation would be enough to distract them from it.

Charmander and Tracie were completely ignorant of the disaster. Charmander's mind was busily buzzing with thoughts of his future and his dreams thanks to inspiration from his new friend Tracie. He couldn't ignore the elephant in the room however. He remembered the tension between him and Mrs. Ketchum quite clearly and still was unsure how to approach it. He resolved to sit quietly and not speak of it at all. He would wait for Delia to make the first move. Meanwhile, Tracie unknowingly attempted to keep the mood of the meal light by generously offering to help Delia set the table. That was when he caught his first glimpse of the mysterious guest; whose hood still concealed his face ominously.

"Umm, hello." Tracie greeted.

"Greetings." The hooded man replied.

"I'm Tracie. I'm a friend of Charmander's."

"I see. That's very generous of him to invite company to dinner with his family, even though he did not console with Mrs. Ketchum."

"Uhh yeah, I guess you're right." Tracie agreed awkwardly. "So…how do _you_ know Mrs. Ketchum and her family?" The mystery man immediately said nothing. Tracie felt a chill descend down his spine. This new guest was unsettling to say the least.

"There is much to discuss here tonight." The man answered at last. He walked away and sat down at the table; effectively ending his small-talk with Tracie. Once the food was placed on the table, everyone slowly began to fill their plates. Before Delia could eat, she couldn't stop herself from watching the mystery man. She wondered how he would eat while still keeping his hood up. _Does he even have a face_? She eerily wondered to herself.

"Pardon me, but, aren't you feeling even slightly humid wearing that heavy coat? Are you sure you wouldn't rather take it off?" Delia inquired politely.

"I mean no disrespect to you or anyone at this table. But believe me when I tell you that…well, let's just say you wouldn't have much of an appetite if I showed you my face right away." The mystery man explained.

"Oh, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. My boys know it's impolite to stare and we would never judge you based on your appearance." Delia assured him.

"It's out of respect, rather than insecurity, actually." The man corrected. However, as the man looked around the table, he noticed everyone was staring curiously at him. It appeared that he had peaked their interest; much to his dismay. The man took a heavy breath.

"Very well." He continued. The man pulled back his hood to reveal his face. The man had thick grey hair that brushed over his forehead and encapsulated the sides of his head. It extended down the back to the bottom of his neck and curled outward slightly. The man's bold, grey eyebrows and the intense, soul-penetrating glare of his eyes were the focal point of his stern and serious expression. The intensity of his eyes' frightening gaze was rivaled only by the intrusive, demeaning frown beneath his small, round nose. The man had a stare that instantly instilled fear and demanded respect in anyone who looked into it. Serena's eyes widened as her mind flooded with rage and her blood came to a boil. She _knew_ this man. She couldn't believe _he _of all people could be here. The young girl had to stop herself from launching across the table to strangle the man across from her.

As Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, and Delia looked into the man's eyes, they each felt a sudden, violent, burning sensation in their minds simultaneously. As the four shut their eyes and cradled their heads in their hands, they each saw mental images of unfamiliar events and places, and winced as these subliminal messages clawed their way around inside their heads. The trio of children saw a metallic, white room with a giant monitor; a pair of doors that slid to opposite sides as they opened and closed; they heard the booming yells of several different men, the rapid stomping of footsteps, and the piercing racket of a whining siren. Delia could hear the sounds of gun fire and the cry of an infant; she saw a sky as red as blood with particles of lights racing all around her. Yet strangely enough to the group, all the images depicted the very same man who was now sitting at their table. As the images and sounds flashed, they came and went; faster and faster in a blur of colors, lines, and distorted sounds. Just as the epileptic montage picked up full-speed, it ended in an instant. The head pain subsided, and Delia and her children opened their eyes; returning to their reality sweating and short of breath.

They looked around and saw Tracie and Serena comforting them with great worry washed across their faces. Delia struggled to speak as she continued to steady her breathing.

"_What _on earth just happened?" she asked; turning to the grey-haired man.

"It's exactly as I told you. You wouldn't have much of an appetite if you saw my face. Am I wrong?" he asked. The four victims turned to one another. Squirtle leaned back in his chair far enough back that it tipped over; spilling Squirtle onto the floor.

"Squirtle! Oh my gosh, are you alright!?" Serena shrieked.

"Yeah…I think so. Ugggh, I feel like I just got off a roller coaster. What _was _that?" he asked groggily.

"Severe disorientation. You're experiencing the adverse side-effects of the mind-sweep." the man answered.

"Wait a second. _Mind_-sweep? What is going on here? Just _who _are you?" Charmander asked. The man took another deep, calming breath.

"It was our greatest hope that it wouldn't have to come this. Part of my mission was to prevent you from ever learning the truth. But given the events of this afternoon, I have no choice but to compromise my cover and tell you what you need to know." The man began.

"'Events of this afternoon?'" Charmander interrupted. "What the heck happened here? Do you guys know something that I don't?" Charmander asked with great concern. He looked around as everyone except Tracie averted their attention to the floor. "Someone tell me what happened!" the tiny orange lizard yelled.

"Charmander, do you remember those guys you fought with in town the other day?" Bulbasaur asked.

"Yeah, those jerky teenagers, The Invincible Brothers. What about them?" Charmander inquired.

"They came back. They captured Serena and forced her to help them find our home and when they got here, they held Squirtle, Mom, and I hostage. They were going to _take _Squirtle and I away. This man snuck in and saved us. He single-handedly took each of them down." Bulbasaur explained. Charmander sat and stared in shock. He couldn't believe something like this could happen. If this man hadn't shown up, his family could have been _killed _and he wouldn't have been here to help. Regret was slowly starting to rise within Charmander.

Delia, Tracie, Bulbasaur, and Charmander sat quietly at the table and prepared to listen to the man's story. Serena and Squirtle listened as she helped the small turtle back up into his chair.

"My name is Brandon. I am the reason Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander are here in the first place. I've been with them since they were 'born.'" Brandon began.

"So…does that mean that you're our….dad?" Squirtle asked.

"No, I am not your 'father.' But I'm a very good friend of his. Your 'real' father instructed me to take the three of you away and put you somewhere safe." Brandon continued.

"So you _know _where we came from? But why would you take us away like that!?" Charmander burst out.

"Charmander please. Let him tell his story." Delia instructed.

"It's alright, Mrs. Ketchum. The boy's just curious, and rightfully so." Brandon assured. "There is much that I unfortunately can't disclose. I've already violated so many of the orders given to me by revealing my presence to you and telling all of this in the first place. For security reasons, I can really only tell you so much." said Brandon.

"Please tell us as much as you can." Charmander begged. Brandon nodded.

"Let's just say that the place you three come from is currently in an extremely unstable situation. There is so much violence and political turmoil that your father deemed it unsafe for you to stay and be raised in such a hostile environment. He asked me to escort the three of you out of the city and find a safer place for you to live. I was successful, but I was the only one to make it out of there. That's when I stumbled into Pallet Town for the first time. I located Mrs. Ketchum's house and dropped you kids off at her doorstep, even though I didn't know it was her who lived there. It was pretty dark that night. But I could tell from the moment I arrived that this town was a much better place for you. Your father wanted you to grow up to live happy and healthy lives. Ones where you wouldn't have to worry about the problems back home. However, there are people out there with harmful intentions who are looking to find you. Therefore, it was also part of my mission to watch over you from the background and protect you in case any of those people ever did find you.

It became my mission to never allow your past to catch up to you. Your father wanted you to have a completely new start. That also meant that I could never come in direct contact with you or allow anyone else in this town to see me. The people who are looking to harm you are also searching for me with quite a large bounty as incentive. So, I was instructed to remain hidden and never let my presence become known. If I was to be seen, it could allow those people to find me and ultimately you. I regret to say that this fear ultimately came true today."

"But none of that sounds familiar. We don't remember ever running away from any city. At least, not until we saw your face just now." Bulbasaur stated.

"That's because your minds were erased so you would never have to know about your past. Unfortunately, the mind-sweeping device has a glitch in its programming. Instead of erasing the memories completely, it only suppresses them to a state in which the mind cannot access them on its own. However, if you make eye-contact with a person, place, or object associated with those suppressed memories, it will trigger an impulse in your brain and allow it to begin recollecting those lost memories." Brandon elaborated.

"So that's what that weird headache was just now." Squirtle clarified.

"Correct. I kept my face hidden from you up until now because the very moment you saw my face, I re-awakened some of the memories of your time back where you came from. Are you starting to remember it?" he asked.

"A little bit. My head still kind of hurts though…" Bulbasaur answered as he rubbed his forehead with his front paw. Squirtle and Charmander nodded in agreement.

"So, if we were to go back and see our old home, would we remember everything?" Charmander asked.

"Theoretically yes. But it would put so much stress on your developing mind that I would highly advise against it. It's far too much for your brain to process all at once." Brandon.

"Aww, we can handle it! Come on, guys! We can finally go back home!" Charmander cheered. Bulbasaur and Squirtle looked at him with worried glances.

"No! _I_ _will __**not**_allow that!" Brandon objected in a roar.

"Huh? But why?" Charmander groaned loudly.

"As I mentioned before. It's far too dangerous back there right now. It's no place for children and I would be abandoning my mission entirely if I allowed you to return there." Brandon explained. Charmander stood up in his chair and slammed his stubby hands on the table; shaking the dinnerware with a clank.

"You can't keep us here against our will like this!" Charmander burst out. Delia was about to speak, but stopped herself.

"It's for your safety and it's what your father wanted most for you!" Brandon shouted.

"I want to hear that from _him_!" Charmander argued back.

"Charmander!" Bulbasaur and Squirtle yelled out together.

"No!" Brandon stopped them. "It is clear to me what the issue is here." He declared. Charmander fell silent. "You have a major attitude problem, young man. You _think _your place of origin is so much better than here, or that you're somehow entitled to return to that miserable city and completely ignore the circumstances as I've explained them. You want what you don't fully understand." Brandon explained.

"No, I just-" Charmander began.

"You have not been taught how to _appreciate_ what you have already. You think only of what you lack. It is a _very _unhealthy mindset to live by. Since I'm here now, I intend to straighten out this behavior problem of your's." Brandon scanned the table and stopped at Delia. "Among _other _problems that are obviously developing in this household." Delia averted her attention. _How much can Brandon see just from looking at me_? _Are my problems really that obvious_? She thought.

"Don't lecture me like you're my dad!" Charmander barked.

"I am your _guardian_! As such I will decide what is best for you in your father's absence! If you are content acting as a child, then I will treat you as such until you are ready to grow up and stop demanding the world to revolve around you!" Brandon roared. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were both impressed and terrified simultaneously at Brandon's ability to reign Charmander in under his control. Charmander sighed and admitted defeat. Delia broke through the silence with a question.

"So, you'll be staying with us, Brandon?" she asked.

"My apologies for my outbursts, Mrs. Ketchum. I will only stay with your approval." Brandon corrected himself. Serena gritted her teeth at this statement, though she was glad no one was paying attention to her.

"Oh…well of course you can stay!" Delia assured him. "It's the least we can do after what you did for us today."

"I appreciate that, thank you." said Brandon with a bow. "Your hospitality knows no bounds." Delia blushed at the compliment. Once the dinner concluded, Brandon, Serena, and Tracie each helped Delia clear the table; thanking her in the process.

"Thank you very much for the excellent meal, Mrs. Ketchum." Tracie said with gratitude.

"You're very welcome, Tracie. It was a pleasure to formally meet you. I also appreciate you looking after Charmander today." said Delia.

"It was my pleasure. He's a good little guy. I have faith he'll come around, especially with Brandon around." Delia gave a genuine smile at this sentiment. Somehow, she was starting to truly believe this herself. Serena walked out of the kitchen without saying much more than a simple 'thank you.'

"Serena, are you alright, dear?" Delia called out to her.

"Yeah, I'm doing just fine, Mrs. Ketchum. But I really should be going now." Serena replied.

"Please don't blame yourself for putting us in danger. It _wasn't_ your fault."

"No, I know that. I'm just as surprised by…Brandon's…story as you all are. I just have a lot to think about and I need a good night's sleep is all." Serena said vaguely. She didn't feel comfortable telling anyone how she was really feeling.

"Well, alright then. Take care, sweetie."

"I will. You too." Serena called back as she closed the door behind her. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were sitting with Brandon in the family room getting better acquainted when Brandon saw Serena walk out without so much as a glance at any of them.

"Will you excuse me, boys? I'll be right back." Brandon said getting up. Bulbasaur and Squirtle obliged.

"Serena!" Brandon called out. Serena stopped to allow Brandon to catch up to her before turning around to face him.

"Serena I-" Brandon began.

"I have _nothing _to say to you." Serena snapped coldly. "You want to play Daddy with them? Fine! But don't you _dare_ look me in the eye and act like everything between us is okay; because I _haven_'_t _forgotten!" Brandon said nothing as he accepted her words in his stride.

"I have to fulfill this obligation, honey. Please understand that it's important to me and everyone back in Trimayna." Brandon confessed.

"Whatever! Like I would understand anyway since you _never_ bothered to tell me anything! Just stay the _hell_ away from me while you're here! I've been doing just fine on my own and I won't let you destroy everything I've worked for without you now!" Serena screamed as she futilely fought back her tears.

"You have every right to be upset with me after all these years. But I _promise_ you that-"

"You _**promise**_!? How_ dare _you even think of using such a word with me! We both know you can't keep your promises to anyone! You certainly didn't keep your one promise to _me_! If you're still the same monster I know you are, you'll hurt Mrs. Ketchum and my friends just like you did to _Mom _and_ me_!" Serena continued as she turned around to run. She stopped after a few steps and looked back one more time. "You're a monster, Dad…" Serena choked before sprinting away. Brandon stood in the yard and watched her disappear into the night. It pained him greatly to see her so upset. But there was nothing he could do for her in the present. Eventually, he knew he would have to make things right with her. But only when she was ready.

Charmander was sulking on the bed upstairs in the bedroom as Bulbasaur and Squirtle gushed over how they admired Brandon.

"Hey Charmander, aren't you excited?" Bulbasaur asked cheerfully.

"What's there to be excited about?" Charmander replied harshly.

"Brandon said he's going to teach us to control our powers! Isn't that so cool!?"

"Whatever." Charmander shrugged off.

"What's his problem?" Squirtle asked.

"I think Brandon kind of embarrassed him at dinner. He'll cool off like he always does." Bulbasaur assured. Charmander pulled a pillow over his head to drown out his brothers' chattering. As far as he was concerned, he was back to square-one as usual. Nobody was on his side now that Brandon had showed up. Even Tracie took a liking to him. When would he _ever_ catch a break?

Downstairs, Delia was setting up a pillow and blankets on the couch in the family room for Brandon.

"I hope you'll be warm enough." She wondered aloud.

"I will make due, regardless if I'm warm or not, Mrs. Ketchum. You don't need to worry about me."

"Oh, well alright then. Just let me know if there is anything else you need. Also, you can just call me Delia." She clarified.

"Very well, Delia. There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Brandon stated.

"Go ahead."

"What kind of tension is going on between you and Charmander? Don't try to deny it either. I can see it clearly in your eyes that he's causing distress for you." Delia remained quiet for a few seconds.

"I just don't know what to do. He acts out so much. I try to be gentle with him and he shrugs it off. Then I try to be more firm and I only push him away more. I just wish he could see that I'm trying my best to raise him with love."

"You have no reason to be faulting yourself." Brandon began. "I unfairly placed the heavy burden of raising these children on you and you accepted it without a second thought. I've known these kids for a while. Believe me when I tell you that they _do_ appreciate your love and care. Charmander is just more difficult to get through to and he has a harder time expressing gratitude than the other two. He was just….born that way. Just keep doing what you feel is best and I will keep him in line." said Brandon.

"You will?" Delia asked with relief.

"Yes, and all I will ask for is your cooperation. I know what these children need now that you've given them a stable environment, but I can only begin with your approval."

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle have elemental powers. I think it would be good for them if they could learn to harness and control those powers under my guidance."

"You want to _train_ them?"

"Yes. It will be difficult at first, but the results will be worth it in the long run."

"Well, I don't know…" Delia doubted.

"Consider this. If today was any indication, someone out there wants to harm them. I can teach them to defend themselves so that if that someone tries something like this again, they'll be ready and we won't face another situation like today again." Brandon reasoned. Delia was intrigued by this point.

"You won't push them _too _hard?" Delia asked for reassurance.

"You have my word that I will only challenge them within reason. This might even help teach Charmander some discipline." Brandon promised. Delia pondered the proposal.

"Well, we _did _trust you with our lives today so I don't see why not as long as you're in charge. Okay, you have my permission." Delia resolved.

"Very well, we'll begin in a few days." Brandon planned.

"A few days? Why not tomorrow?"

"There is a more important matter we must address first."

"Another matter? What would that be?"

"You'll find out tomorrow. You _all_ will, together."


	9. The Journey Within

Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur came down from their room the following morning, only to find no meal waiting at the table. Instead, Brandon and Delia sat together; obviously waiting for their arrival.

"Uhh Mom? Where's breakfast?" Squirtle asked.

"No time for that today, boys," Delia answered.

"_WHAT_!?" The trio shouted simultaneously.

"That's right. You'll need to conserve your appetite." Brandon instructed. The children exchanged confused glances towards one another.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Charmander asked.  
"From what I've gathered in my previous observations of you, you don't _work_ together, even though you do live together," Brandon stated. Confusion continued to loom. "The training will be difficult, and you'll need to work together and support one another in order to master your powers. But, each of you still has conflicting feelings and a lack of trust towards one another. This must be addressed before the training can begin. Otherwise you'll do nothing but argue instead of help. The exercises I have planned today should help you," Brandon explained. "But, in order to receive any sort of benefit from this, I'll require your full devotion and attention. You must promise me you will stick with this plan until the very end of it. If you can't, I will not train you. Simple as that." Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle this time exchanged glances of mild anxiety. "What is your answer?" Brandon asked.

"I accept," said Bulbasaur with mild confidence. He turned to Squirtle.

"Me too," said Squirtle. He turned to Charmander, who hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.

"I'm in," said Charmander.

"Very well. Let's get started," Brandon declared. He handed Delia a large basket and whispered instructions in her ear. She left the house without a word. Brandon led the three children out of the house in a single-file line straight through Pallet Town and out to the outskirts; passing the tree that Charmander and Tracie sat under along the way. After walking several miles, they stopped in a dirt field where an ominous sentiment of sorrow consumed the group. There was nothing in the area except the charred remains of an old house and several burnt trees scattered around the vicinity.

"This will be your first trial. In order to assess the inner turmoil you each have inside yourselves, you must first release the dark energy within your hearts that cloud you from connecting to your soul. Close your eyes, concentrate on something that angers you; something that fills you with rage. It doesn't matter what it is, nor will you have to tell anyone. Just focus on that anger. Let it grow within you until it has nowhere else to go but out. Finally, when you're ready, release that hate-filled energy out of you in one tremendous _roar_!" Brandon instructed.

Charmander stepped forward first; letting complete darkness consume his sight. He took a slow, deep breath. The most difficult part for him was deciding what he wanted to get angry at. He was angered by so many things. He pictured Delia, his brothers, Serena, and Tracie all surrounding him in the dark void; each of them glaring at him in disgust; insulting him and striking him down. Charmander clenched his stubby fingers into fists. His feet dug into the ground, and his tail flame grew. Next, Charmander pictured The Invincible Brothers calling him names, just as they had done in the plaza before. The very sound of their laughter caused Charmander to grit his teeth and shut his eyes even tighter. Finally, he pictured a home. A wonderful, peaceful little village with an older version of himself standing in front of it; his interpretation of his father.

Suddenly, Charmander saw Brandon pick up the home in his hand, and crush it to pieces; symbolically denying him from ever returning to it. This angered Charmander to the point of his tail flame growing three times its normal size. The tremendous heat and glow caught Squirtle and Bulbasaur off-guard as it spread to the sidelines where they were standing. Charmander could feel a burning ball of energy within him; the same kind he felt that day that he unleashed that burst of flame on Kim. Charmander opened his mouth at last and unleashed another vortex of fire as his cries of anguish sliced through the air. The fire persisted for several seconds before Charmander ran out of breath. He kneeled over and gasped for air. Bulbasaur and Squirtle rushed to their brother's side and helped him stand.

"How do you feel, Charmander?" Brandon asked.

"I feel…..good….," the tiny lizard confessed. Despite his immediate exhaustion, he did genuinely feel better. Releasing all of his built-in rage and frustration all at once; it tired him out. But he no longer felt the same nervous sensation in the back of his neck he always did when facing Mrs. Ketchum. It was as if a demon had been freed from within him at last. Charmander placed his hand to his yellow chest and for the first time, he could feel the gentle thumping of his heartbeat. Charmander grinned. He looked around and was astonished to see all of the trees his flames had set fire to.

"That was excellent. I could truly sense the power and fury within your flames. Well done," Brandon praised as he pat Charmander on the head. Brandon turned to Bulbasaur. "It's your turn next," he called.

Bulbasaur took a heavy gulp and walked away from the group to the same spot Charmander stood. He followed the procedure, and tried to visualize something that angered him. He pictured The Invincible Brothers and the awful things they did to his family, but found himself only depressed instead of angry. Just when he was about to quit, Bulbasaur pictured something else. A person he knew. This person always irritated him with his arrogance, his shouting, and his reckless actions. Bulbasaur remembered all the arguing that went on between them, and remembered seeing him get hurt from stepping in to a fight. As much as he felt ashamed of it, Bulbasaur couldn't deny that he found the darkness that clouded his heart by thinking of Charmander. All the memories Bulbasaur had of sitting by and watching Charmander argue with him, Squirtle, Serena, and their mother. It was enough to stir up his own dark energy.

Bulbasaur ferociously dug his paws into the dirt as his entire body twitched and jolted about ferociously. The group saw sparks hovering around the tip of the bulb on Bulbasaur's back. Soon, the small light particles grew and began to spin around ferociously. They began to dive into the bulb and lit the inside of it up with an ominous, white glow. The light poured from the bulb until finally, it shot straight out at tremendous speed in a concentrated cylindrical beam that launched like a rocket into the sky. When the beam finally faded, Bulbasaur collapsed to the ground; just as exhausted as Charmander was before him. Squirtle, Charmander, and Brandon rushed to his side.

"What _was _that!?" Squirtle asked.

"It was the result of Bulbasaur unleashing all of his bent-up frustration in one burst. Although he wields the naturally gentle element of grass, he was able to harness the energy of the sun into a powerful burst. Congratulations, Bulbasaur. You just performed your first Solar Beam," Brandon explained. Despite his grudge against Bulbasaur, even Charmander was impressed by the display.

Squirtle did not have quite as easy of a time with the trial. He concentrated deeply but could not harness enough anger to truly feel any sense of power within him. He pictured The Invincible Brothers at first, but only ended up reminding himself of his own cowardice. Squirtle tried to use the frustration he felt towards himself for failing to stand up to the Invincible Brothers. Taking in a deep breath, Squirtle attempted to mimic Charmander's fire blast, only to release a gentle assortment of bubbles instead. Charmander had to stop himself from bursting into immature laughter over his brother's failure. Squirtle cradled his head in his stubby blue hands. _Why? Why am I __**never **__strong enough_? He wondered to himself.

"Squirtle, on your feet!" Brandon called out. Squirtle stood up and turned around to face Brandon; his eyes glistening with self-pity. "What happened?" Brandon asked.

"I…I don't know," Squirtle confessed.

"Why do you doubt yourself!?" Brandon shouted.

"I just, I-I don't know…" Squirtle stammered.

"Stop shutting yourself down!"

"Huh?"

"You tell yourself that you can't do it or that you don't have the answers. Stop limiting yourself to failure! You must learn to strive for the _peak _of your ability!" Brandon explained. Squirtle lowered his head and stared at the dirt beneath his feet in shame. Brandon kneeled down to his level and pulled a small item out of his pocket. He extended his arm in front of Squirtle. The blue turtle noticed a pair of sunglasses in Brandon's hand. Squirtle took the pair of glasses and examined them closely.

"What are these for?" Squirtle asked.

"Put them on and try again," Brandon instructed.

"O-okay…,"Squirtle hesitated. He placed the sunglasses over his eyes.

"Now take your breath." Squirtle inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"Close your eyes and shut out the world around you. Detach yourself from everything you see, hear, and feel," Brandon continued. Squirtle could imagine himself floating in a void of darkness. The eeriness frightened him slightly. Squirtle took a deep breath, but out came bubbles once again.

"Try it again, Squirtle. Concentrate _harder_," Brandon ordered. Squirtle went through the motions several times, only to yield the same result. Brandon shook his head with his eyes shut. He kneeled down and looked into Squirtle's eyes through the sunglasses. "You're trying to force the power to release itself, but you're not fueling it with anything. You need to find your anger and condense it into energy. You're not getting angry enough," Brandon explained.

"I'm trying to but I just can't," Squirtle replied.

"_Yes_, you can. Have faith in yourself. Think of something that _infuriates_ you! Try it once again!" Squirtle rehearsed his breathing and entered his dark void once again. This time, something was different. Squirtle watched a swirling dark cloud slither around him like a snake. He felt a chill as it brushed against his skin. Squirtle remained perfectly still; feeling frozen with fear and unable to move. Suddenly, Squirtle saw a blinding light cutting through the darkness in the distance in front of him. When the light faded, he saw Mrs. Ketchum standing alone and watching him. She kneeled down and reached her hand out for him with her friendly, familiar smile. Squirtle started to run over to her, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the dark cloud begin orbiting around Mrs. Ketchum ferociously. Squirtle watched in horror as the dark cloud formed into a demonic face of yellow eyes and a jagged mouth. Squirtle called out to his mother,

"MOM! LOOK OUT!" he yelled. Squirtle could feel tears forming in his eyes as he watched the shadowy beast engulf Mrs. Ketchum in darkness. This was it. Squirtle had found his anger at last. The idea of losing his mother. _That _was the trigger he needed. Squirtle could sense the warm energy twisting and swirling furiously around in his chest. The energy rose up his throat and erupted out of his system through Squirtle's mouth. What he released was not what Squirtle was expecting though. Unlike Charmander's tremendous flames or Bulbasaur's inspiring burst of concentrated sunlight, Squirtle released a vortex of water high into the sky that dispersed at maximum altitude and showered gently on the earth below.

"Remarkable! That's how it's done, Squirtle!" Brandon cheered. Squirtle looked up at him in genuine surprise. "_That _was the combination of your previous attempts, but fueled with your true inner strength. Be proud of your accomplishment!" he said. Squirtle nodded and quickly noticed that he was still wearing the sunglasses Brandon had given to him. He removed the pair and handed it back to Brandon, but Brandon rejected them.

"Keep them. They're your's," Brandon clarified.

"But I thought-"

"If they help you channel the power within yourself, then hold on to them," Brandon elaborated. Squirtle grinned with gratitude.

With the first trail complete, Brandon led the troupe further out into the wilderness a few miles until they reached a lake the glistened as the sunlight bounced off the surface. It was the most serene and beautiful place the kids had ever seen.

"Now begins your second trial," Brandon declared.

"What do we have to do here?" Bulbasaur asked.

"Face away from the lake, and allow yourself to fall back into the water. Sink beneath the surface, and connect to your inner soul, just as you did before. Only this time, instead of building up anger, you should be able to see your heart in the void. Make contact within it, and you should have a vision of your greatest desire. If you can decrypt the vision, you'll be ready for the final trial. " Brandon explained.

"And if we can't…?" Squirtle hesitated.

"Then you simply will not be able to complete the final trial at all," Brandon answered. Squirtle swallowed heavily. "Now, instead of taking turns, you will fall in together. When you've touched your heart and seen the vision, the water will push your body up to the surface and bring you back to consciousness," Brandon described. "I wish you luck."

Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur lined up side-by-side and faced away from the lake on the shore. The trio shut their eyes and allowed themselves to fall backwards simultaneously. They cut through the water's surface with an echoing splash and slowly submerged themselves beneath the surface to lose themselves in their thoughts.

Charmander opened his eyes and found himself back in the dark void. Only this time, he was standing on a platform checkered with black and white tiles. He saw a spiraling staircase extending upward from the platform. Charmander sprinted up the staircase for several minutes before finally reaching the top where a large, round manifestation of orange light awaited him. _Is this my heart_? He wondered. He extended his hand towards the orange ball of light and when he made contact, a powerful jolt of electricity surged through his veins. The tiny lizard's eyes burst with white light. A series of split-second images flashed in Charmander's sight, rapid succession. He saw so many still images of unknown events that he had no time to process or interpret.

At the very end of the epileptic clip show, Charmander saw a shadowy silhouette of a majestic, winged creature standing atop the highest cliff of a canyon at sunset. The creature roared and fired a magnificent burst of orange flames that blended with the mandarin sky. When the creature turned its head to face him, Charmander woke up and emerged from the water; gasping for air desperately. Charmander had received his vision and knew _exactly _what he wanted most.

Squirtle entered his void and encountered a similar staircase to Charmander, although he was unaware of the coincidence. He climbed to the top and saw his heart take shape in the form of a circular aqua light. Squirtle touched the light and felt the electric shock paralyze his body. Hundreds of subliminal images raced before Squirtle's eyes. He saw a trend of shadow silhouettes coming in a variety of shapes and sizes. The turtle didn't recognize any of the people in his vision. The flashes stopped with Squirtle standing in a first-person view in a deserted field under a sky obscured in storm clouds. A foreboding breeze blew as he saw Charmander and Bulbasaur standing apart from one another and facing away with their heads tilted down in shame. Squirtle was startled by a sudden boom of thunder and looked up to the stormy sky in time to see a lightning bolt strike towards him.

Strangely, Squirtle was blinded by light but felt no pain from the lightning strike. When Squirtle's vision returned to him, he was in a completely different environment. He was standing in a pleasant meadow on a warm summer's day. He heard his name being called by a voice in the distance. Squirtle turned around and saw his brothers running away from him while smiling and motioning for him to catch up. Squirtle sprinted in their direction and saw Pallet Town in the horizon just over the hill with his family and the same silhouettes from before standing together in a crowd. But before he could get a better look at any of the mystery figures, Squirtle was subjected to another blast of blinding light and returned to his physical body as he passed up through the surface of the water. He too was left deprived of oxygen.

Bulbasaur followed the same process and touched the emerald manifestation of light that represented his heart. After being subjected to his montage of cryptic messages and symbols, Bulbasaur found himself standing in a scarred, ash-covered corpse of a forest with burned trees and scorched plants everywhere. After walking a few paces, Bulbasaur found a lone stump sitting in the dead center; spaced away from the rest of the dead forest that circled it. Bulbasaur placed a paw on the stump and instantly, a ring of light exploded from its center and upon opening his startled eyes, Bulbasaur saw the entire forest bursting with life and full restoration around him. His single touch had revived the entire land. But before he could enjoy his achievement, Bulbasaur awoke and resurfaced from beneath the lake.

"Welcome back. I take it you each received your visions?" Brandon asked. The three nodded together and exchanged blank glances at one another; wondering just what each one of them saw within their heart. "Now then, it's time to move on to your next trial." Brandon stated as he began to walk away from the lake and back up onto the path.

The group proceeded deep into a forest and wandered for a mile before reaching an open field surrounded by trees in all directions. Four large rocks laid still in the grass. Brandon instructed his three students to each sit upon a rock.

"This final trial is actually quite simple. You are to meditate and listen to the spirits of the forest. Synchronize your breathing and the beating of your heart with the blowing of the wind and the rustling of the brush. If you can become one with nature, the spirits will come to assist you," Brandon explained.

"Assist us with what?" Charmander asked.

"Now that your hearts have told to you what you want most from your lives, you need to determine how you will go about achieving that desire," Brandon clarified. Without another word, the three brothers fell silent and concentrated.

Charmander struggled to maintain his focus due to his rising hunger. He found himself constantly opening his eyes and looking around. Even Brandon was locked in his own meditative trance. The orange lizard paid special notice to seeing Bulbasaur and even Squirtle deep in their subconscious thought. Charmander would not allow himself to fall behind. After much patience, Charmander finally connected to his inner soul. He found himself in the dark void that had become familiar to him, in front of his heart at the top of the staircase. But, instead of touching the heart, Charmander could see a new vision just from looking into it and felt himself transported inside. Charmander saw himself standing in a maze with walls of mirrors in all directions. He walked down a narrow corridor into a dead-end and approached one of the mirrors. Charmander saw his own reflection as he placed his hand to the mirror, but quickly saw it fade and morph into Squirtle as if Squirtle himself were looking into the mirror. Strangely, the mirror reflection of Squirtle did not mimic Charmander's movements. Instead he stood there, staring directly at Charmander; frowning with disappointed eyes. It was difficult for Charmander to watch. He moved away to one of the other mirrors, and saw the reflection transform into Bulbasaur with the same discouraging expression. Charmander continued to examine mirrors and found reflections of Serena, Tracie, Brandon, and Mrs. Ketchum. Charmander was growing terrified and turned around to walk away from the dead-end, only to find that suddenly, mirrors were now blocking the path and sealing the tiny lizard in a complete circle.

Charmander panicked as the room began to spin and everywhere he looked, he found nothing but disappointed faces of the people he knew. Enough was enough. Charmander was determined to get off this Merry-Go-Round. The orange lizard swung his right arm and punched one of the mirrors; shattering the glass. Charmander looked down at the shards of broken glass on the tiled floor and noticed that the reflection held something completely unfamiliar to him. It looked like the dragon creature from his earlier vision. It was an ominous black color with red eyes, an aqua blue chest, and jagged, navy blue wings. Puffs of blue flames were emitting from the creature's mouth. Suddenly, the room stopped spinning, and a bright light emerged from the opening Charmander created by shattering the mirror. Charmander sprinted towards the light as quickly as his legs could carry him and when he reached it, Charmander opened his eyes to find himself sitting back on the rock in the forest, sweating from the intensity of his state. He didn't entirely understand what his heart was trying to tell him. All he could piece together was a magnificent power; one he craved deeply. However Charmander was going to obtain it, the means to do so had something to do with his connection to his family and friends, as well as their horrifying creature. But what? What did it all mean? Charmander didn't have all the answers, but he did have one. He was going to get that power no matter what. And he wasn't going to hold himself back any longer. He had to make things right before he pursued this path.

Squirtle's vision into his heart brought him into a hall with three individual doors in front of him. Charmander and Bulbasaur walked past him and each entered a door. He called out to them to get their attention,

"Hey! Bulbasaur! Charmander! Wait for me!" Squirtle called out. But neither of his brothers seemed to hear him. Squirtle ran across the room and tried to open Bulbasaur's door to follow him, but found it to be locked. He ran over to Charmander's door. Locked as well. Squirtle pounded on each door and shouted out for them. "Guys! Come back! What's going on!?" No response. Squirtle was all alone. Off to the side was the third door. The turtle looked down to his hand and saw he was now holding a key. When did he acquire this? Squirtle walked over to the door and used the key. The lock's mechanism clicked and the door was opened to reveal a radiant light. Squirtle entered the new room and engulfed himself in the light, only to find himself back on his own rock in the forest. His vision had ended. Squirtle felt confused when reflecting upon his vision. He knew for certain that he wanted his family to stay together. So why was his heart telling him he needed to separate himself from them? Could he really trust what his heart was saying? Was it possible he was being led astray? The young turtle wasn't ready to take that chance.

Bulbasaur fell much deeper in his trance than his brothers. He looked into his heart's vision for the future and teleported himself into a dark, cavernous tunnel illuminated by torches mounted on each of the tunnel's sides and lit with dying flames. Bulbasaur followed the tunnel of lights on a path that seemed to be curling perpetually to the right. As the bulb creature continued walking, he also felt the elevation of the floor shift. The dirt path seemed to be angling into a staircase. Despite his growing fatigue, Bulbasaur kept trudging and climbing through the mountainous cavern tunnel.

Just when Bulbasaur was ready to collapse, he saw natural light emanating in the distance. Finally. He had reached what appeared to be the end. Bulbasaur walked through the light, only to become entangled in a web of vines and roots sprouting from all directions and twisting together. Bulbasaur fought and wrestled with the vines until he finally broke free and reached the other side. Pushing branches aside, Bulbasaur found himself standing atop an enormously tall tree in a lush, green jungle. The view was breathtaking. Nothing but treetops and blue sky for miles. The air smelt fresh and a gust of cool air took flight and brushed across Bulbasaur's body. From what he gathered, his heart was describing some sort of arduous climb waiting for him in order to reach what he wanted most. But he didn't know what it meant to stand at the top of it all.

The bulb creature looked down from his treetop and to his left, saw an ocean with rocks at the shore. Standing on those rocks and looking back up at him with a smile was Squirtle; waving to him pleasantly. Bulbasaur smiled and waved back. He turned to his right and saw Charmander standing atop a rocky mountain. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Yet, he was smiling modestly. When he opened his eyes and met Bulbasaur's, he gave his brother a 'thumbs-up.' Comforted, Bulbasaur looked upward to the bright blue sky and directly into the sun shining high above him. Blinded by the intense illumination, he opened his eyes and found himself back on his rock in the forest with his brothers and Brandon. Bulbasaur immediately began interpreting his vision. He understood the climb, and was noticing a recurring connection to nature across all three trials from his utilization of the sun up until his breath-taking view of standing atop the jungle's tallest tree. But just what was nature trying to tell him?

Brandon opened his eyes when he heard the rustling of his students concluding their vision quests. "Well," he said, "it would seem that you have each successfully communicated with nature."

"I guess so," said Squirtle.

"That's right," said Bulbasaur.

"Uhh...yeah," said Charmander.

"Good. You have successfully completed the three trials. Now, your real training can begin soon. But for now, there is but one last matter to attend to. Follow me," Brandon instructed.

"Awww, not more walking," Squirtle groaned. The boys retraced their steps all the way back to Pallet Town, but stopped on the hillside where they saw Delia and Tracie waiting for them with a picnic set up and anticipating their arrival.

"Mom!" Bulbasaur and Squirtle yelled together in unison as they ran over to greet their mother happily!  
"Hello boys!" Delia greeted back as she hugged them. "How was your trip?"

"They did very well today," Brandon reported. "Their real training can begin soon."

"That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you boys!" Delia praised.

"Yeah, way to go, guys!" Tracie added.

"I bet you must be starving by now, right?" Delia guessed. The three nodded eagerly. Before long, the entire group was gathered around, enjoying their meal as the sun began to set.

"Brandon, there's something I've been wanting to ask you," Bulbasaur announced.

"Ask away, Bulbasaur," Brandon responded.

"When you came in the house to rescue us yesterday, how did you know we were in trouble?"

"After I left you three in Mrs. Ketchum's care months ago, I had to report back with my comrades before resuming my mission here. When I returned, I kept a close eye on you to make sure you weren't in harm's way. I wanted to step in when I saw Charmander picking a fight with those boys in Pallet Square, but it was too risky to blow my cover by appearing before all of those people. I was curious as to why they were so interested in Tracie's sketchbook, so I trailed them. I discovered that they're in league with agents from an organization back in the city who had come all this way searching for me. They had hopes that Tracie and I had met since he's been all over the world." Brandon explained.

"Is that true, Tracie?" Squirtle asked curiously.

"Uh-huh. I've been to all sorts of places and managed to draw some pretty incredible stuff!" Tracie confirmed.

"The agents believed that if Tracie had met me, he would've kept some record of our meeting in his sketchbook that they could use to track me down," Brandon added.

"Why does this organization want to find you so badly?" Delia asked.

"Let's just say that I _heavily_ disagree with their ideals. But I'm just a pieceof the puzzle. They mainly want you three. They're incredibly crafty and stealth is one of their strongest angles. They must've hired those boys you met in order to do the dirty work because they didn't want to risk being captured and having their identities exposed if their attempt was unsuccessful. The organization views these three as disposable if they can't prove themselves useful. There's no telling what will become of them now because of their failure. Disarming and restraining them was easy enough since they don't have anywhere near the experience that I do. I have to admit though that it was clever of them to use Serena to find you instead. If I hadn't been watching you all this time, they probably would've gotten away with their kidnapping and nobody would've noticed except Mrs. Ketchum. By the time she would've reached the authorities, Bulbasaur and Squirtle would've been long gone," Brandon described. Bulbasaur and Squirtle gulped heavily.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate what you've done for us, Brandon. You've been invaluable," Delia praised. Brandon raised his palm in rejection to her compliment.

"Please. I'm simply doing my job. Besides, I still have much work to do," Brandon corrected.

"What do you mean?" Bulbasaur asked.

"Since I came out of hiding to help you and revealed myself to the enemy, those agents will undoubtedly strike again," Brandon theorized.

"But you scared the _pants _off the Invincible Brothers!" Squirtle argued.

"Maybe so. But they're not the ones I'm worried about. I'm more concerned with the possibility of the agents coming for you directly since they now know where to find you. They may not have succeeded initially, but they still have the upper hand. That's why it's essential I teach you how to control your powers. When they do come for you, if I fail to stop them, you'll at least be able to protect yourselves and hopefully the people of Pallet Town as well in the event that they try to exploit their vulnerable nature and use it against you." said Brandon. A mutual agreement of silence was made among the kids. "Now that you know what's at stake, I need your word that you'll give me the most of your ability in your training. I need you to receive as much benefit as possible from my teachings," Brandon declared. They agreed.

The picnic carried on as the sun continued to set over the ridge and light began to fade. Charmander moved away from the group and sat alone to watch the sun. Delia joined him when she noticed his movement.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"I had a lot to think about today. There are some things I wanna say now. Will you listen?" Charmander asked.

"Of course I will," Delia answered. Charmander curled his thin orange tail around to his lap and stroked it gently with his hands. A deep breath.

"I'm just going to start the only way I know how right now," Charmander began. "I just wanted to say that I'm….sorry for the way I've been acting. I'm sorry I've been such a pain with you all this time. It's just that I have so many questions about my home. I want to know where our father is and why he couldn't keep us. Just once. I just want to meet him. That's all. I want to go back to that city we came from and see what I can't see here; I want to reclaim the memories that were taken from me. I'd be lying if I said that things here haven't been great. You've given us so much and it does feel good to see the guys…Squirtle especially, so happy here. I realized today that maybe I really can be happy here too. But, I just want those answers first. Then I'd come back here," said Charmander.

"I'm sorry too, Charmander. I never meant to be so hard on you. I was just confused myself." Delia replied.

"You were confused?" Charmander asked.

"Yes. Believe it or not, I understand your frustration very well. You see, something important was taken from me long ago and I've had to live for so many years, knowing that an important piece of my memory is gone and that I'll probably never be able to get it back. It's so hard to go on living sometimes when I know that. But I find ways to get by. That's why I care so much about you three." Delia could feel her eyes beginning to water, but continued to speak anyway. "I look at you three as a chance to fulfill that void. To replace the piece of me that I lost. I know it's wrong for me to be looking at you as something you aren't, but when you've been alone as long as I have, you find that your heart just keeps finding ways to tell you what you want most, no matter how much you try to hide it. If you can't listen to your heart…. you lose sight of who you really are," Delia described. Charmander sat and listened quietly. He had never seen his adoptive mother open up to him like this before. He never knew of her pain. Yet she understood _his_ pain. His guilt skyrocketed as Charmander could feel a heavy lump forming in his throat.

"I was wrong about you," said Charmander.

"What do you mean?" Delia asked.

"I've just been so angry because I felt that I didn't belong here. I thought that no one believed in me and that you were just trying to control me. I just wanted someone to see that I'm my own person and that I don't want someone to live my life _for_ me. But I've never been good at explaining myself like this before…," said Charmander

"Maybe you just have trouble trusting other people. You've never been on your own like this before so you must be feeling heart-broken towards your father for him letting go of you like this, aren't you?" Tears began to flow down Charmander's cheeks as he nodded. Delia pulled him closely to her chest and hugged him as she placed his head under her chin and stroked the back of his neck gently as he sobbed.

"It's alright now. I promise you that you're safe here. I swear on my life that I will _never _hurt you. But you take as long as you need to trust me. Because I'll never give up on you, Charmander. No matter how much you grow; no matter how you change; no matter if you can think of me as your mother or not when I think of you as my son; no matter if you hate me or not. Just know that I'll _never _stop loving you," said Delia.

"Things will be different from now on…Mom. That's _my_ promise to you," said Charmander.

"This will be a fresh start for the both of us," said Delia.


End file.
